A Brother's Secret
by TheAnalei
Summary: He was the big brother. He would be doing the protecting and he would do so, not caring what it cost him, as long as his family and friends were safe. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings: **possible OOC characters, character death

**The Very Beginning** (Luffy, one hour old)

Dragon cradled his son close as his cries began to die into small whimpers. The baby was whimpering and whining and fidgeting, obviously upset.

He had, after all, just seen his mother die, even if he didn't know it.

The bundled baby was small in his arms and Dragon wished he could stay with him and protect him, but at the moment he knew it was impossible. He ran through the pouring rain and held the infant close, silent yet once in a while kissing the small head.

He knew what he had to do to keep his precious only son alive. He had talked about it with his wife, just in case this day ever came.

If only it wasn't the day his son was born. Dragon just hoped and prayed that his son could grow up normally after this and live a long, happy life.

He approached the quiet road and stopped in the middle. The baby was wrapped in bright red and yellow and would hopefully be easy to see. He hugged the infant close, whispering his love to him and kissing him on his temple, forehead and nose before setting him on the ground despite the growing ache in his heart.

He stepped into the woods, hating hearing his baby cry, and was thankful when a car came into view not even two minutes later. The car stopped and a young couple got out to save the baby.

Somewhat content, Dragon ran. He knew it was probably useless, but his son was safe and his colleagues had all of the information. His undercover mission with his wife had worked. They had what they needed to reveal the government for what it was.

Not even fifteen minutes later, as he ran through the woods, he fell to the ground with a hole in the back of his head. Behind him was a man by the name Doflamingo, who had also recently had a son named Bellamy that Dragon had learned of right before his wife died. He hoped his son and Doflamingo's son would never meet.

His dying wish was for his son to live a normal life and live a safe life.

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**AN:** So, this is the start of my first published fan fiction. I'll place warnings at the beginning of each chapter. Yay! I hope you guys like this and it will be updated regularly (the story has been done and mocking me for the past three months). Please review! Thank you! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the characters - all characters belong to Eiichiro Oda. Only the plot belongs to me.

**Warnings: **possible OOC characters

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Naming (Luffy 2 weeks)

Rouge stared down at the small baby she held in her arms – now her first child. He was adopted, and it had been surprisingly easy. Maybe it was because they had saved him, or they had a steady income, but whatever the reason, she was happy.

Roger came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle as he, too, stared down at the small baby in her arms.

"We just need to name him, and he's all ours," He said softly yet with a large grin. He held his hand out when the baby's hands reached up, searching for something to grab onto. He found Roger's fingers through squinted eyes and gripped his finger tightly, cooing with a gummy smile.

"Luffy."

Roger looked at Rouge for a moment before smiling when she smiled down at the baby.

"Luffy it is."

* * *

Even though they had Luffy, and they were over joyed, there was still pain in their family. Garp was extremely depressed. They didn't know why; he had just said there was a tragedy, that someone he knew very well had died.

Garp's son, Roger, had never known that his father, in a previous marriage, had an older son. That man's name was Dragon, and he was found dead recently. He had not heard from his son in years, and for this to be the last he ever knew of his son killed something inside of Garp.

But despite this, Garp was happy because there was a new addition to their family, and though he couldn't get his son back, there was someone else to give love to. Never to replace, but there all the same.

* * *

**AN: **I should mention now that this is an AU. The story will focus a lot on Luffy but there will also be plenty of ASL and the Strawhats in there. Also, chapter length will get longer as the story proceeds. I hope you enjoyed this! Please review! Thank you! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I own only my words.

**Warnings: **Possible OOC characters, lots of fluff, possible poorly written toddler-speak

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**The First Day** (Luffy 3)

Luffy looked down from his father's arms with curiosity at the two babies he had pointed out in glass boxes inside a room with a huge window. One of his hands was in his mouth while the other gripped his daddy's shirt as he stared at the two small forms. The babies were small and he wondered why babies were so small.

"Those are your new brothers, Luffy," His daddy said and Luffy looked up to him, slightly confused.

"Bwother?"

"Yes, brothers. They're going to look up to you and you can protect them and you three will love each other while Mommy and I keep loving you three."

Luffy smiled and shouted "I love you too Daddy!" making many people nearby smile as he held his son close and looked in at his twin sons inside their incubators.

Life just got a lot more interesting.

* * *

** Home** (Luffy 3, Ace and Sabo about one month)

Luffy could hear Mommy cooking in the kitchen and he really wanted to go see what she was making, but she trusted him with an important job.

Watch Ace and Sabo.

He sat between the two babies, looking at them both with fascination and awe. Ace had black hair like him and Daddy and freckles like Mommy while Sabo had Mommy's blond hair.

He realized so far that babies couldn't do much. They just laid around all day, ate, slept and pooped. They were really soft and squishy too and they cried a lot.

He noticed both of them whimpering at the same time, like they were going to cry, and frowned. He didn't want his baby brothers to cry! So, as gently as he could, he took their hands in his and held them while talking to them.

"Don't cry! Big bwother's here!" He said with a beaming grin. That grin widened when his brothers calmed and he laughed in joy that he made them happy again. He didn't like frowns – smiles are better!

"Luffy," He turned and saw Mommy in the doorway, smiling at him with a camera in hand. "Smile!"

That was his first picture with his brothers and their family's Christmas card that year.

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**AN:** So...was that any good? I don't interact with toddlers a lot so this is mostly based off of memory of other toddlers from like a few years ago. Sorry if it's too cute or not cute enough but it will be like this for the next, well, actually more than the next few chapters. It will, eventually, get more serious but for now, while they're kids, it's all fluff. Also, that was the only really long time skip. All time skips will be between a few months, it's rare you will see one of a few years. So, please review and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Warnings: A lot of fluff and cuteness, purposeful toddler grammar errors**

**Disclaimer: All characters and One Piece belong to Eiichiro Oda. I own only my words and the plot.**

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**The Grandfather **(Luffy 3, Ace and Sabo three months)

"Gwampa!" Luffy cheered as he toddled up to his grandpa. He heard the large man laugh loudly before he was picked up by large hands. He laughed as his grandpa let him feel like he was flying, raising him above his head, and when he was placed against the large man's chest, he hugged him.

"How's my oldest grandson doing?" Garp asked with a big grin on his face. Luffy giggled and pulled on his beard before replying.

"Cool!"

"Bwahahahaha, that's my boy!"

"Garp, make sure to look after them for the day, all right?" Luffy turned and saw his Mommy smiling. He heard his grandpa agree and then his Mommy held him, giving him a huge hug and a kiss. "Be good for grandpa, ok?"

"Yeah!"

Grandpa held Luffy as he waved out the window as his mommy left for the day. Then grandpa took him upstairs and placed him on his bed before grabbing his brothers and bringing them over too.

"Introduce me to your little brothers, Luffy."

"Ok!" Luffy saw Garp grin as he sat down and Luffy began itra…intud…introducing him to his little brothers. "The one with the fweckles is Ace. He eats awot and he cwies awot. He has really soft hair! This is Sabo. Sabo doesn't cwy as much but he burps a lot. He doesn't have lots a hair. Both are stinky!"

"Hmmm, they seem like good little brothers."

"Yeah, but they're loud! Hurts my eaw's!" Luffy put his hands over his ears and his grandpa laughed at him with his loud laugh.

* * *

Sabo and Ace fell asleep so Luffy's grandpa took him downstairs to do something else. He gave Luffy lots of colorful paper, crayons and markers and let Luffy draw to his hearts content.

"And this is a piwate ship!" Luffy held up a piece of blue paper with a big brown blob and a smaller black blob with a yellow circle with sunglasses (it was supposed to be sunglasses) in the corner.

"What about the marines?"

"Piwates are cooler!"

"You rascal!" Luffy whined as grandpa ruffled his hair. When he was done, he held up his last masterpiece for his grandpa, smiling with his biggest smile that day.

"Famy!" Garp looked closely and smiled upon seeing the picture. "You," He pointed out a blob with a grey head and a red shirt with poorly drawn yellow flowers. His legs were little sticks. "Daddy," He pointed to the one next to it with a big, curly black mustache and a red shirt with the same legs as grandpa, "Mommy," He pointed to the next blob with really long blond hair, dots on its face and a long dress, "Me," He pointed to a small figure with black hair sitting in front of "Meat," Grandpa chuckled at that, "Ace and Sabo!" The last two were merely little heads, one with blobs on its face and black hair and the other with blond hair.

Garp pat his grandson on the head. "It's a very good picture, Luffy. I'm sure your mom and dad will love it," Luffy grinned and jumped out of his chair, running up and hugging his leg.

"Love you!" Garp picked Luffy up and held him close. He stroked the toddlers' hair slowly, seeing that he was falling asleep, and whispered quietly to him.

"Love you too, Luffy."

* * *

After Luffy and his brothers napped, Garp decided to take them on a walk. He pushed the carriage along with one hand as Luffy babbled on next to him, holding onto his free hand as they walked through the park.  
"Daddy liked it. He said I be mus…muk…musicie when I'm olda! Mommy like it but not the messy," Luffy pouted at the last part as he looked up at his grandpa with a big smile.

"You can be whatever you want to be Luffy, but I think you should be a marine!"

"No!" Luffy stuck his tongue out at him and Garp just sighed. He hoped he would get through to his grandson someday.

* * *

"Buh bye gwanpa!" Luffy yelled from his Mommy's arms as his grandpa walked away. After he left, he was let down and he immediately ran into the kitchen. Rouge followed her hyper son and watched as he crawled onto a chair and grabbed something off of the table. "Mommy, look!" Rouge walked over and looked at the picture before smiling. She bent down and kissed her son on the forehead, watching as he giggled.

"It's beautiful, Luffy. I love it, and I love you."

Luffy laughed and reached up for his Mommy, happy when she picked him up and hugged him close.

* * *

**AN: The first longish chapter of this story. I hope you all like little Luffy because I really enjoyed writing him. The grammar will get better as the story goes on but right now, it's written in the way Luffy thinks.**

**spoons-are-evil: Thanks! :) I know, it's very rare to see Luffy as the big brother. I've only ever seen it in fanart, and a picture of older Luffy actually inspired this. And I'm glad you like cute things, because it's gonna be cute for a little while. But it will get kinda, well, uncute later on. As for Doffy and Dragon, I have to work on that a little bit, but you gave me a good idea for it, so thanks :)**

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed and please review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Warnings: purposeful toddler grammar mistakes, a lot of cuteness**

**Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda.**

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**Nightmares** (Luffy three, Ace and Sabo a few months old)

Luffy tried to rub the tears out of his eyes as he sniffled loudly, snot dripping from his nose, clutching his teddy bear, Sunny, close. He had just woken up from a scary dream with a lot of monsters in it, and he was all alone, and he had no idea where his parents were.

In the dark of his room, lit only by a pirate crossbones nightlight in the corner, he stared down from his bed at the floor. He shrunk back a little bit, fearing the idea that monsters could be lurking under his bed. What if it was the boogey man?! The thought made more tears fall from his eyes as his cheeks got puffy and red.

He got out from under the covers, crouching on his bed with Sunny clutched close, and then, after moments of whispering "there's no monsters, there's no monsters" to himself, he jumped. He landed on the floor on his belly and scrambled to his feet, running for the door. When he reached it, his eyes watered more when the handle was a little out of reach of his hand. He whined, jumping a few times before reaching the handle and turning it. The second it was open, he bolted out of the room and down the hall.

Lucky for him, the door to his parent's room was open. He barged through the door and headed straight for their bed, jumping up onto it and then snuggling under the covers with them, trembling.

He felt shifting and then the large figure of his Daddy sat up in bed next to him. Before he could do anything, he was picked up out of the bed and his Daddy held him close. He snuggled into the man's chest, still sniffling and trembling slightly. However, he began to calm when his Daddy began to rub his head and back soothingly.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" He whispered to the little boy. Luffy looked up at him with his teary eyes and a terrified expression and it made Roger's heart crumble a little bit.

"Nightmare," Luffy mumbled, clutching onto Roger's shirt with his free hand and holding Sunny close. The man hummed lightly in response.

"What happened?"

"There were these big monstas, and, and, they chased me but I was 'lone and it was dark and scary and there was booms and I couldn't fin' you n' Mommy," Luffy started softly, ending with a little whimper. As soon as more tears began to fall, Roger made soothing shushing noises and lifted the boy more, holding him tighter and closer.

"I had dreams like that too when I was a kid."

"You did?" Luffy looked up and Roger smiled fondly when he sniffed, nodding at his son.

"Yes, I did. I learned how to make them go away though. Do you want to know how?"

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded vigorously, making the man chuckle.

"I beat them up."

"Beat the monsta's?" Luffy asked, awed.

"Yes, I beat the monsters. And they were so scared, they never came back."

"Even ta boogey man?"

"Even the boogey man," Roger nodded with conviction and Luffy, despite his red eyes, grinned widely. Both of them had a little laugh before Luffy was cut off by his own yawn. He rubbed at his eyes, which were drooping more by the second, and looked at his Daddy.

"Can I still sleep wif you?" He asked. Roger chuckled and nodded, making Luffy smile before he fell asleep against the man's chest with Sunny held in his arms. Roger smiled at his son and kissed the crown of his head before laying back down again to sleep with his son on his chest, not at all minding his weight.

And after that night, Luffy rarely had to go back to his Daddy and Mommy's room because of nightmares.

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**AN: A little father-son bonding here. I hope it was cute enough for you guys.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review, I would like to know what you think! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings: FLUFF, fluff everywhere, intended toddler grammar errors**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, it belongs to Eiichiro Oda**

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**First Words** (Luffy almost 4, Ace and Sabo about 9-11 months)

Luffy was almost four and his brothers were almost one. They babbled a lot now and chewed on everything. They also had strong grips when they grabbed his fingers, like Ace was doing right now.

"Aceeeee, let go," Luffy whined as his brother held his fingers, pouting at his big brother before biting on them. Luffy pouted but let him do it since Mommy and Daddy said he couldn't hit, push, kick or do anything that could hurt Ace or Sabo and he couldn't shout either.

Sabo crawled over onto his lap and grabbed his other hand, sucking on that one too! Luffy whined, wanting his hands back, but Mommy and Daddy were talking with someone scary in the other room and told him to watch over them and call only if there's an emergency.

The last time he said this was an emergency when they took his toy they got angry and he doesn't like angry people. Everyone should be happy!

"Ow, Ace that hurt," Luffy pouted and his eyes watered when Ace bit hard, breaking some skin. Ace let go of his hand with a frown and a pout and kissed the cut like he always saw Mommy do and then giggled. Luffy smiled and pat his head. "Thank you Ace!"

"Lu…Luf…" Ace began babbling and Luffy tilted his head to the side, confused about what he was going to say – if anything since he never said anything yet. "Lu…ffy…Luffy! Luffy!" Ace chanted over and over. Luffy smiled widely and pulled Ace into a hug and was shocked when Sabo began saying his name too! He pulled them both into a big hug and the three of them laughed.

When he told Mommy and Daddy what happened later, they both scolded him again! Luffy didn't understand adults – it wasn't an emergency, right?

* * *

**Toys and Tickles **(Luffy 4, Ace and Sabo 1)

Mommy was in the kitchen next to the room Luffy and his brothers were in, talking with Daddy on the phone, cooking and watching over the three boys. Luffy was running all around the fenced room, since they had those fence doors that Luffy didn't like at all. He was screaming loudly as he jumped on furniture and ran around, pretending to play pirate.

He stopped when he fell and smacked his head on the floor. He whimpered, holding back his cries, before crawling over to his brothers to see what they were doing. They were playing with those blocks you had to stick in the right shape. So far, he saw they hadn't gotten any. Ace kept trying to put the square in the circle and Sabo was trying to put the circle in the square. Grinning, Luffy carefully grabbed their hands and both watched curiously as he moved their hands to the correct places. They tried and this time succeeded and both giggled loudly in glee. Luffy grinned at them with his laugh before looking to his left and seeing one of those toys that talked. He pressed its hand and blinked when it began singing. He looked at his brothers to see Sabo looking like he was going to cry and Ace was pouting.

The next thing he knew Ace threw a block at his head.

Luffy put his hand to his forehead and pouted at his younger brother, who whined loudly at the sound the doll was making.

"Oh, Luffy, neither of them like that toy! Be careful or they might throw something at you."

"Already did," Luffy muttered as the toy stopped singing. He threw it across the room and crossed his arms, happy that he hurt the toy. His brothers didn't like it and he didn't want to be smacked with a block again. He looked at his brothers when both laughed at the toy that got thrown to the opposite side of the room.

Sabo made grabby hands, saying Luffy's name, and Luffy crawled over to him before pulling him into his lap. He tickled his baby brother and smiled when he laughed. He looked up when Ace grunted and saw his other brother making grabby hands too with a pout on his freckled face. Luffy pulled him over to sit on the other side of his lap but eventually had to make more room, putting them between his legs since they were both heavy to the small child.

Luffy put his hands over his eyes and then pulled them away, laughing when he saw their faces. Sabo was giggling in joy and grabbing at his hand while Ace looked really confused and babbled. He grabbed at Luffy's nose and Luffy whined slightly but let his brothers do so, Sabo sucking on his thumb while Ace got further onto his lap and played with his nose, mouth and ears. He grunted and giggled the whole time since it tickled but looked up when he heard a camera flash.

"Mommy!" He cheered as Rouge walked over to him, smiling. She sat down in front of her three sons and took Sabo, tickling him while Luffy hugged Ace tight.

"Did they throw a block at you?" She asked, raising a hand to run her fingers over the red mark on his forehead.

"A trungle one!"

"A triangle?"

"'s what I says!" Luffy whined when his Mommy laughed at him.

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**AN: All of this fluff! I don't know what to do with myself. I had so much fun writing about it and gushing over it. I hope you guys enjoyed the fluff.**

**Guest from chapter 4 (didn't see your review, still getting used to this site): It's an overload of fluff.**

**spoons-are-evil: Hahaha, thank you :). I actually named it Sunny right before I posted the chapter, and I'm happy I did. And I imagine Roger would've been a good father had he been able to live with Ace. I bet Ace would've been happier in his early childhood if he didn't hear all that horrible stuff. And no bad nightmares again for Luffy...for now. Thank you, and I'm glad you liked it :)**

**Thank you for reading! Please review, I like to hear what you guys think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Warnings: Fluff, intended toddler grammar errors**

**Disclaimer: One Piece is Eiichiro Oda's! I only own my words.**

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**The Beach** (Luffy 4, Ace and Sabo 1)

Luffy grinned, bouncing up and down next to his parents as they were unpacking their car. They were at the beach, and it was the first time he had gone since he was just a baby – which he obviously didn't remember – and he was ecstatic.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" He cheered, pulling on his Daddy's shorts, his own hat flopping up and down as he bounced. His Daddy laughed, telling him to calm down, as he was unpacking the back of their car. He grabbed a bag of towels, not very heavy, and kneeled down to his son's height.

"Luffy, can you carry this for me? You and Mommy can go find a good place on the beach."

Luffy nodded fast, grinning as he took the bag. He grunted at the weight before huffing in determination and following his Mommy down to the beach as she held Ace and Sabo, who were wearing hats very similar to him.

The beach wasn't very packed, so they got a good spot near the water. Luffy put down the bag and grinned with a giggle when his Mommy thanked him and asked him to get out one towel and lay it out. Luffy did so and watched as she put Ace and Sabo carefully down on the towel as his Daddy walked over with their coolers and other bags.

While they set up, Luffy ran around nearby on the beach. He ran to the water line and screamed with joy at the waves as they moved back and forth, touching his toes and pooling around his ankles.

"Daddy, what's this?" He asked as he knelt down and picked up a critter. Roger walked over and kneeled next to him, grinning.

"That's a crab, but be careful, Luffy. He might pinch you."  
"'M not scared of a pinch!" Luffy stuck his tongue out before putting the crab back down and gaping at the minnows. "Fishy!" He jumped right into the large group of fish and laughed when they all swam away before regrouping. He yelped when he was scooped up from behind and then laughed, holding his Daddy's head as he went further into the water. "Daddy, what're you doing? Where are we going? Is it fun?"

Roger laughed. "It's called swimming, Luffy, when you go out into the water. And we're not going anywhere. I don't think your Mom would appreciate that," He turned and the both of them waved at Rouge, who smiled back and waved at them as she made little sand mounds with Ace and Sabo.

Luffy made a startled sound when he was lifted off of Roger's shoulder's and lowered to the water. Roger never let go as Luffy laughed and kicked at the water.

"Do you want to try to learn to swim, Luffy?"

"Yeah! Teach me! Teach me!" Luffy cheered, squirming. Roger grinned and turned Luffy around, holding him only by his hands so he could float.

"Kick at the water – that's an important part of swimming," Roger said. Luffy nodded determinedly and began to kick the water. It didn't work great at first, as Roger had to keep him afloat, but eventually he was able to keep himself above water. "Good job, Luffy. I'm going to let go now, and I want you to swim to me, ok?" Luffy nodded again with a grin and his Daddy let him go, but he immediately began to sink. His Daddy said it was okay and that they could try again, but no matter how many times they tried, Luffy could not stay afloat. When he began to get hungry, Roger lifted him up and put him on his hip, flicking the boy's forehead affectionately.

"Looks like you're an anchor in water, aren't you."

"I'm not an anchor!" Luffy pouted, causing his Daddy to laugh.

After he ate, he spent much of the day exploring. He went on a walk with his Mommy, picking up interesting shells and rocks and sea glass, and she always praised him for his finds. When they found a mini cove, the two of them made small sand castles together. They used the things they found to make it look cool, and Luffy even found some dead crabs to use as guards for their castler – or rather their mound as neither of them were the best at art.

At the end of the day, he played with his brothers. He made more mounds with them and, with his Mommy, he brought them down to the water one at a time. Their laughs of joy made him laugh and smile to when the water touched their feet.

When they were packing up to leave and being placed in their car seats, Luffy wished he could live on the beach with his family. After that trip, he dreamed of the ocean for many days and his love for pirates grew.

* * *

**Teddy Bears** (Luffy almost 5, Ace and Sabo just 2)

They were in their bedroom and Luffy was playing with his pirate toys while his brothers toddled around. They had taken their first steps a few months ago, Ace to Daddy and Sabo to Mommy, and were always walking since. That was why there was a weird lock on the door now, and he didn't like it, but they wouldn't take it off. So, as usual, he pouted about it for all of two seconds before finding something to do.

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Ow! No hit!"

"No!"

"Ow! Stop!"

Luffy looked up and saw his brothers fighting over a teddy bear, Merry, hitting each other, before both fell backwards, hitting their heads on the floor. Luffy's eyes widened when they both began crying and he quickly looked for something – anything to calm them. He saw his own teddy bear, Sunny, and he bit his lip, thinking – he _really_ liked Sunny – before grabbing it and running to his brothers. He helped both up before taking both bears in hand and handing one to each brother.

"No fighting! It's not good. Apologize," Luffy said with a grin, arms crossed. Both brothers smiled at him before hugging each other, both happy with a teddy bear now. Even though that night, as Sabo and Ace snuggled their bears and slept peacefully, Luffy had a nightmare (but he beat up the monsters like Daddy had told him to), he felt it was worth it in the end.

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**AN: So, another cute-overload here. I hope you guys're all liking big bro Luffy so far, because there's gonna be lots of it in this story! Later on, you'll see why all this fluff and bonding is so important.**

**Oh! The hats they were wearing look like this (minus the spaces):**

** suebdo. / products/ 35735-nantucket-baby-bucket-hat**

**I find those hats adorable!**

**spoons-are-evil: I'm very happy that you love fluff as much as drama and mystery, because there's going to be a lot of it later on. And nope, Ace (and Sabo) will always have that protective instinct because all three brother's are extremely protective! And when I write this, I wish they were real so I could hug them because all of the fluff makes me gush. And yes, I feel bad for the toy too, it was innocent! And yes, I have read A Pirate's Resolve! I just finished the latest chapter that came out. I love that story a lot! Thank you for the review, I'm glad you like the fluff :)**

**Thank you for reading! Please review, tell me what you think and if you see grammar errors, please tell me because this is doesn't have a beta reader and I may miss some stuff going over it. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Warnings: possible OOC characters, serious!Garp, mentions of bullying, fluff, minor coarse language**

**Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I own only my words.**

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**The Scary Man** (Luffy 5, Ace and Sabo 2)

Luffy yawned as he gripped tightly onto his Mommy's hand. It was early autumn; they had gone on a walk that day and he had been taken in by the colors of the leaves. He had jumped into several leaf piles with some other kids while his Mommy talked with some other people and his Daddy played with his brother's.

But now, it was night. It was nearing six o'clock, which was Luffy's dinner time.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," Luffy whined, tugging lightly on her hand. She gave a small sigh before smiling down at him.

"Daddy's making dinner tonight. And don't worry, there'll be a lot of meat too," Luffy grinned and giggled, making Rouge smile. Luffy looked behind at his Daddy, who was pushing a stroller with his two very tired little brother's. He was talking to them, trying to entertain them. He wondered if they knew they were going to be having meat tonight as well…

Luffy, not having paid attention to where he was walking, accidentally walked into someone. He gave a small yelp as he was knocked back. He felt hands – large and unfamiliar – pick him up. He realized he was staring into the eyes of a very tall and intimidating man. He gulped, putting on a brave face, and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

The man chuckled. "You have quite a cute kid here, Ma'am." Luffy heard his mother reply positively yet shakily. Luffy stared at the man – he did not like this man at all. Something about him was...off.

Very slowly, the man returned Luffy to his mother. Luffy immediately latched onto her, feeling scared. He watched as the man walked away with nervous eyes.

"Mommy," He looked up at Rouge, who looked anxious. She looked back at her son and gave an uneasy smile.

"It's alright, Luffy. Mommy's here," She soothed her visibly frightened child, making soothing shushing sounds and rubbing her hand in circles on his back. Despite this, he still had a death grip on her jacket and even began to shake.

"What happened?" Roger came up on Rouge's other side, staring at his oldest son in concern. Ace and Sabo stared up from their stroller with confused expressions on their faces.

"Luffy ran into that man, and he seemed very…pleased, for some reason. He unnerved me," Luffy heard his Mommy say very quietly to his Daddy.

"I'm sure it's nothing. But, if this happens again or we see him too often, we'll call the police," Roger replied, putting his hand on Rouge's waist and leading her down the sidewalk.

Only Luffy noticed how the man had stopped further up ahead at the street curb, staring back at him with a malicious smirk.

He buried his face in his Mommy's shoulder to make it go away.

* * *

"I've found it! The thing Dragon wanted to protect!"

The tall blond man threw two pictures onto the table, grinning with glee. The look in his eyes, framed behind pink sunglasses, was crazed. It would have terrified anyone who could have seen it.

"Sir, you already killed Dragon. Is…is there any p-point in ki-killing the boy?" A man standing along one of the walls of the room shakily asked. The blond turned and glowered at him, pulling a gun off of the table and shooting the man in the head. He fell with a thud, no one else in the room moving to help. Not a sound was made for a few tense seconds.

"Any more questions?"

No one replied.

"Good. Get that fool out of here – I don't care what you do with the body," The blond growled, turning back to the table. There were two pictures of five year old boy's on it – one was of Dragon, and one was of the boy he had run into a few days ago. They almost identical, save for the different hair styles and slightly different eye shape . And, by stealing the DNA tests - which were pleasantly already hidden away and lied about because of the child's criminal heritage - he was positive this was Dragon's son.

"That bastard Dragon destroyed me in the underground after he released all of that information about the drugs. Then Garp has been suspicious ever since that murder case six years ago that I barely got away with, and that was because of a damn expensive bribe. I don't care if he's dead or alive – I'll make his son's life a living hell! Anyone with the name Monkey will die!"

* * *

**Opening a Can of Worms** (Luffy 5, Ace and Sabo 2)

Garp closed the storybook he had just finished reading and looked down at his grandson. He was in a peaceful sleep, sprawled on his bed while drool was dribbling from his mouth as he mumbled about his dreams. Garp chuckled, tucking the small child in and kissing him on the forehead before he walked out of the room.

The boys were staying at his house for the weekend because Roger and Rouge had to go on a weekend long business party for Roger's work. It was the first time any of the kids had slept away from home, but Ace and Sabo didn't seem to mind. Luffy was a little upset at first but he seemed to get over it quickly.

Garp also had other things on his mind about Luffy.

He had gotten an anonymous email the other day, one that, for some reason, had extensive information about drugs in the making. He had read some of it this morning and was horrified. The drugs had been tested on children and their affects were horrendous, resulting in death, permanent disability, or injury.

And now he was going to finish it.

He opened his email and began reading through the documents, taking in every detail he could. He knew what chemicals were dangerous, how they could affect children, and the poisons given. He was a police officer and had come across quite a few murders in his day involving chemicals and such, so he was not oblivious to their damaging qualities.

And then he came to the bottom of the page, where the undercover agent who had done this report had written his name.

Monkey D. Dragon.

He looks at the pictures of his deceased son hanging on the walls of his office. There is a picture of his first birthday, them playing catch when he was learning how to throw a ball, his son's graduation from high school and college, Dragon standing next to his seventeenth birthday present - which had been a ratty old car that the boy had loved; shooting guns at hunting grounds, learning to swim…Roger had never met his brother who was twenty years older than him since Dragon was a drunken but welcome accident and his mother had monopolized him after their divorce. It was something he regretted, never introducing the two boys to each other. And then, after Dragon's mother died, followed by Dragon's disappearance - only to show up dead years later - Garp regretted it even more so.

After almost five years of no leads, he finally found his own. Maybe he could solve the mystery to his son's death.

* * *

**A Little Comfort** (Luffy 6, Ace and Sabo 3)

Luffy did not like school.

He had been excited to go at first but he didn't want to go anymore. The teacher wasn't nice, half of the kids ignored him and the others were mean! They began hitting him and when he hit back, they cried and said he started it. His Mommy and Daddy got mad at him for starting a fight too. He didn't tell them what really happened since they seemed real st…strus…straz…stressed lately.

After dinner, he laid on his bed, pouting over the days' events. His legs and arms had bruises on them, he was pretty sure one kid bit him and there was a big boo-boo on his tummy.

He really, really wanted his teddy bear but he gave it to Sabo and he wouldn't take it back – that's mean. So, as his brothers played in the room, he held his pillow and sulked, trying not to cry about how his tummy hurt. Big brothers weren't supposed to cry.

"Luffy?" Sabo asked.

Luffy pulled his face out of his pillow and looked up at his three year old brothers, noticing they had climbed onto his bed.

"What wrong?" Ace asked this time. Luffy sat up and smiled.

"Nothings wrong. I'm fine!"

"Lying," Sabo pouted at him and Luffy pouted back, looking down at his lap. He didn't want to tell his brothers – he would be worrying them and he didn't want that. There was shuffling on the bed, and he though they were going to go play again, but instead two pairs of small arms hugged him. "Feel better!"  
"Be happy!"

Both brothers exclaimed and Luffy _did_ feel better with those words. He hugged his brothers back with a huge grin.

"Thank you!"

* * *

**AN: Sorry this is a little later in the day than normal. Updates will be erratic during weekends since my house is like a hotel Friday through Sunday. But updates will be everyday (hopefully) and hopefully before one in the afternoon. Today, I also had a little writer's block while adding a scene, which did not help.**

**Now, moving on! So, we're getting into the more serious stuff right now. There's going to be more fluff but for now, this is the introduction of the bigger plot. I hope you liked this chapter and for those of you who like fluff, there'll definitely be more next chapter!**

**spoons-are-evil: Hahaha, nope, the poor kid can't swim. He'll always be an anchor. And I love the hats that babies wear on the beach, and I've played with my neighbor's grandkids before. They love looking for shells and making sand castles. And making Luffy give up Sunny made me sad, but it had to be done! Thank you for your review - your reviews make me very happy :)**

**Thank you for reading! Please review and tell me what you think of the story or if you see grammar errors!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Warnings: Fluff, possible OOC characters, serious!Garp, intended toddler grammar error, mentions of bullying**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece and I own only my words.**

* * *

**Pirates** (Luffy 6, Ace and Sabo 3)

"Grandpa!" Luffy ran up and hugged the man's leg, laughing loudly as the man ruffled his hair.

"Gwapa!"

"Gappa!"

Ace and Sabo both toddled in after Luffy and Garp picked one boy up in each hand, hugging them close and laughing loudly.

"How are my three favorite grandsons doing?"

"Good! Grandpa, I won a race in gym! I beat everyone by lots!"

"Good job, Luffy! Ace, Sabo, what about you?"

"New clothes!" Ace and Sabo both pulled on their shirts and Garp grinned at them.

"You both look cute in them."

"'m not cute!" Ace yelled and smacked his grandpa in the nose.

"Ace, don't hit your grandpa," Rouge scolded as she walked in, but Garp only laughed.

"He's a boy, Rouge, it's fine. They'll hit."

"…Me too!" Sabo yelled and smacked his grandpa on the nose as well. Garp only laughed louder while Luffy looked up at his brothers in awe. They hit grandpa but he's so big…

Garp let the twins down and the three immediately set off to play. Garp walked to the kitchen with Rouge, where they saw Roger trying to end a phone call, but then the kids were in the playroom and they couldn't see it anymore.

"Whaddaya wanna play?" Luffy asked his two brothers. They looked at each other with a grin before running over to the huge pirates chest.

"Piwate!" They both screamed. Luffy grinned and ran over, opening it, and they all pulled out clothes to wear. Luffy had a big hat that slipped on his head and covered his eyes with a red captains jacket, Ace had a green jacket and an eye patch and Sabo had a blue jacket and a hook on his hand. They all had toy swords.

They ran around, making a mess of the room, before taking off to the kitchen where the adults were.

"Luffy, I told you, Marines are better!" Garp scolded Luffy, giving him the "fist of love". Luffy whined and pouted back before yelling.

"Pirates are better!"

"Marines!"

"Pirates!"

"Marines!"

"Pirates!"

"Dad, don't harass my son," Roger said. Luffy turned to him and ran up to him.

"Daddy! Pirate or marine?"

"Pirate of course, Luffy!" Roger laughed.

"I raised you to like marines!"

"Pirates are cooler than marines, dad. It's every kids dream to be a pirate before it is to be in the army."

"Looka me!"

The group of four turned around to see Ace and Sabo had gotten into the pots and pans cabinet. Sabo, who had no hat, wore a colander on his head while Ace picked up a pot, looked at it, then shoved it onto his head, running around the kitchen blind and yelling "It's dark!" while Sabo watched with confusion through the many holes.

"Shishishishi, me too!"

The adults did nothing to stop him and let him put on oven mitts that practically covered his arm and then held a huge spoon, declaring he would beat the marines.

When she knew the boys weren't looking, Rouge snapped a picture. It was one option for a Christmas card, but she had too many other options to pick from.

* * *

Garp was staying in town that night. Roger and Rouge had a spare room that would one day belong to Luffy, but was now just a guest room. While his family slept that night, Garp was sitting in his bed with his reading glasses, looking over the report. Whoever sent the first email continued to do so upon his request, and the two would even chat once in a while. The mystery person had said that the night Dragon died, something very important was left behind. He had no idea what it was, but in his last contact with him, he had told them to protect whatever it was.

It was the reason they had gone to Garp, because they thought he would know what it was.

He had no idea what it was, but his suspicions were rising. He looked over the context of the last contact Dragon had ever had with this person, and the minutes were just before Roger and Rouge had found Luffy.

Luffy, who was found in the pouring rain, alone and unnamed. Dragon was found three weeks later, near where Luffy was found, but no one had ever said anything or made the connection.

Garp knew what he had to ask this mystery person to do for him, because he thought he knew exactly what secret Dragon had kept and wanted protected.

* * *

**Meeting Shanks** (Luffy 6 almost 7, Ace and Sabo 4)

The school year was almost over and he still hated school.

Luffy was prepared for the bullies to punch him. He wasn't going to fight back because it would just make his parents upset and he would get in trouble with the teacher again. So, when he closed his eyes upon seeing the fist, he was confused when it never came.

He opened his eyes nervously and upon seeing the taller boy in front of him, they widened. He could only see his back and his fire truck red hair and straw hat but he could also see the scared faces the bullies had on.

The older obviously did something because not even three seconds later they were running towards the basketball hoops, tails between their legs. The six year old looked up at the older kid with confusion. The elder seemed to be ten or eleven years old with big, curious red eyes and a huge grin.

"Are you alright?" He asked and Luffy could only nod, still somewhat overwhelmed and awed by the boy before him. "That's good! My name's Shanks. I'm in the fifth grade. What about you?"

Luffy blinked, stunned, before grinning widely and replying. "I'm Luffy and I'm gonna be seven soon!" Shanks grinned at him before grabbing his hand and starting to walk with him.

"Do you want to meet my friends? I think they'll like you!"

"Yeah!"

Luffy couldn't be happier at the moment as he still had no friends to speak of aside from his brothers. So as Shanks dragged him along, he began talking nonstop. Shanks even seemed to like talking about it too! He liked pirates and bugs and adventure! Eventually, though, they stopped in front of a group of people.

"Guys! This is Luffy. He's our friend from now on!"

Luffy was introduced to several people. There was a boy named Ben who was reeeeeally tall and quiet but he smiled and seemed really nice. Then there was Lucky Roo and he had _beef jerky_! And was fine with sharing some with Luffy, too! After that was Yasopp. He had awesome aim and could hit a target from really far away.

But soon, their forty-five minute recess was over and they all had to go back in. The older boys saw him get upset and immediately asked what was wrong and for once, Luffy told someone.

"No one in my class likes me. They don't talk to me and they hit me a lot too. They all call me stupid and weak," He frowned at the unpleasant memories and he didn't see it but his new friends frowned too.

Then Shanks spoke up.

"You're not stupid Luffy! I think those kids are stupid. And if you can take all of those hits and punches for this long, you're really strong!" Luffy looked up at Shanks with a grin and hugged him. It caught him off guard but he hugged him back. They were called in by a teacher and all ran inside, the older group happy to have another friend and the youngest happy to simply have friends.

* * *

**AN: So, here's some more fluff! And Garp is getting much closer to discovering the truth. Do you guys think I wrote Shanks and his crew alright? We see them more in the future, too. :) I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**

**spoons-are-evil: Yes, the drama begins! I feel like I would've cried if I ran into Doffy like that. And yes, his life is going to get very complicated. And yep, Luffy is Roger's nephew, but Roger doesn't know that as of now - only Doffy is positive. And as for the drugs, it's like what Caesar did to the kids but the drugs are more, well, deadly in this case because of what they're testing. I don't even really know what they're testing myself since I don't know anything about chemicals and all that jazz, just that its various drugs for the underground. I'm happy you liked the chapter :)**

**shadowmarialove: I'm happy you enjoyed it :)**

**Thank you for reading! Please review and if I have any grammar errors please do tell me! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Warnings: possible OOC characters, fluff**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns everything belonging to One Piece. I own my words.**

* * *

**A Sleepover** (Luffy 7, Ace and Sabo 4)

Luffy was jumping up and down as he waited at the door with his Mommy, holding her hand with an excited grin on his face.

The school year just one week from over and Shanks had invited Luffy, along with Ben, Yasopp, and Lucky Roo, to sleep over for the night. Luffy had never been to a sleepover or even to a friend's house, so he was happy beyond belief right now. His Mommy smiled down at him and pat him on the head as she heard someone approaching the door.

The door opened to a fifteen year old girl with dark green hair and dark purple eyes. She looked from Rouge to Luffy and smiled.

"You must be Luffy," The girl said, and Luffy agreed enthusiastically. She smiled, saying, "My name is Makino, and I'm Shanks' older sister. You can go change into your bathing suit and go to the backyard. They're in the pool right now."

Luffy nodded and hugged his Mommy one last time, saying his goodbyes and getting a kiss on his head, before running off and leaving the two to talk.

Luffy changed quickly and ran out to the backyard.

"Hi Shanks! Hi guys!" Luffy had shouted. They looked over and all of them grinned at Luffy, calling him over.

Luffy really looked like he wanted to get into the water, but he knew he couldn't swim. Shanks then got out of the pool and grabbed a tube that looked like a huge sea monster, bringing it over to Luffy.

"You can't swim, right? Use this, then!" He said with a grin. Luffy grinned up at him and nodded, jumping into the pool with the tube. Shanks jumped in after, and always stayed a little close to Luffy while they all swam around the pool.

Luffy couldn't play many of the games because of his inability to swim, but he still enjoyed watching. As he paddled around in his tube, he watched as they played Sharks and Minnows and even acted as a referee for them. He was able to play with the beach ball since they were just hitting it back and forth to each other.

When they were all tired of swimming, they got out of the pool and went for the water guns. Yasopp easily won, having the best aim out of all of them. When he got Shanks in the eyeball, Shanks dove at him and the two ended up wrestling while Luffy laughed, Roo grinned and shot his water gun at them, and Ben smirked.

In the middle of wrestling, Luffy giggled and smacked Shanks on the back.

"You're it!"

They all froze for a few seconds as Luffy ran away before Shanks stood and ran after Luffy, trying to catch the younger as it became a huge game of tag.

After hours of play, they all collapsed back onto the grass, staring up at the sky and laughing.

"That was really, really fun!" Luffy cheered, throwing his arms in the air.

"It was. Haha, I still can't believe you're so bad at swimming, Anchor," Shanks teased, making Luffy pout and yell "I'm not an anchor!" while the others laughed.

"Burgers," Makino suddenly shouted. All of the boys scrambled to their feet and ran and Makino was soon crowded by five starving children. She was glad she thought she overcooked, because by the end, all of the food was gone and they would have been hungry if she didn't.

Makino had to make sure that they all were cleaned before she sent them upstairs to change. She easily got all of the boys except Shanks to wash his hands. Shanks stubbornly stuck his tongue out and only did so when she calmly threatened no desert. She also had to wipe Luffy's face because of the ketchup and mustard on it, but she didn't mind having to do so – she babysat a lot of other kids and this was a little mess compared to what she normally dealt with.

The boys all headed upstairs just as Shanks' parent's returned from work. Shanks gave them a quick hello before he raced up with the rest of them. He had a small TV with an Xbox 360 in his room and he turned on the console, choosing the Lego Indiana Jones game for them all to take turns playing.

Luffy had no idea how to play the game, so it was fun for them to watch. Shanks had to sit next to him and help him whenever he played and Luffy would always cheer whenever he managed to do something correctly.

And that night, after stuffing their faces with chocolate ice cream and cookies, they all fell into a deep sleep on sheets spread out all over the floor.

It was the best time Luffy had ever had in his so far short life, and he hoped he would be able to experience it again.

* * *

**The Last Day of School** (Luffy 7, Ace and Sabo 4)

"I'm not gonna see you guys again?" Luffy looked up at his friends with a frown and slightly teary eyes. They all felt bad for having to leave the younger here, but they were going to the middle school now, moving up a grade. They also had sleep-over camp all summer. There wasn't really a choice.

"Not for a while, but we'll always be friends Luffy! Don't forget that! How about, so we remember to meet up again, I give you this," Shanks took off his straw hat and placed it on the younger boy's head with a huge grin. Luffy smiled widely up at him and hugged them all – Shanks the longest – before his bus arrived and he was ushered on so he wouldn't miss it. The whole ride home, he wondered what he would do the next school year. He'd have to find more friends.

When he got home he ran into the house, looking for Mommy to ask what they were going to do that day, but couldn't find her. Daddy was at work and his brothers weren't home either. He began to panic but he found a note on his bed from Mommy. He read it out loud to himself.

"_Luffy, your brothers had a bad fall today and I had to bring them to the doctor. I'll be home as soon as I can be!_

_I love you Luffy!  
-Mommy_"

Luffy frowned and put the note back on his bed.

He was alone.

He really didn't like being alone, whether it was without his teddy bear, without friends, or in his house. It scared him.

Luffy decided to find something else to do and hopped down from his bed, looking for something fun. He tried to watch TV but the clicker battery was dead and he didn't know where to find batteries, he didn't know what the computer password was, and he had given most of his toys to his brothers and they were all broken due to age or lost.

With not much else to do, Luffy walked up to his bookshelf and pulled out some story books about pirates, reading their adventures and wishing he could go on some of his own.

* * *

**AN: I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I never thought I was going to get 10 favs, so thank you to you guys and my followers and reviewers. I wouldn't be updating without you guys. **

**Now, moving on. There's a lil' fluff in here and a little lonely Luffy at the end. We're not going to be seeing Shanks for a while, but fear not! He will return! The next two or three chapters are probably gonna be fluff and then, the drama will kick start once more.**

**shadowmarialove: Hahaha, thank you very much :) and I try to update everyday, too, so hopefully there'll always be something new to read.**

**spoons-are-evil: hehehe, you'll find out who it is eventually. And good, I wasn't sure if I wrote Shanks well. Here's more of him, but now we won't be seeing him for a little while. The next one or two chapters will be ASL bonding (and about Shanks and drinking, don't worry, you'll see that at least once later on because it would be weird to not see Shanks drinking)**

**Sparrow1011: Thank you! Glad you liked it :)**

**Thank you so much for reviewing, following, fav-ing and whatnot. Please tell me what you think of the story or if you see any grammar errors, because so far, all of this is completely self-edited and I may have missed something! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Warnings: hinted violence, fluff, implied drug abuse and testing**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, Eiichiro Oda does. I own my words and the story plot only.**

* * *

**Lost** (Luffy almost 8, Ace and Sabo 5)

They were lost. Luffy frowned as he held his baby brothers' hands tight in his own. They had been playing hide and seek with his brothers' friends while their parents talked, but somewhere they must've taken a wrong turn, because Luffy was clueless as to where they were. Yes, he did get lost easily, but he at least knew his own neighborhood, and this was not it.

"Luffy, where are we?" Sabo asked, pulling on his hand as Luffy pulled them over to sit on a bench and think.

"I don't know."

"Do you know how to get home?" Ace asked as Luffy helped him up.

"No."

Ace and Sabo both frowned. They wanted their Mommy and Daddy. Luffy noticed their sadness and tried to think of something to help cheer them up because they had to wait for an adult – that was what Mom said for whenever he got lost. He picked his nose while thinking for two seconds before smiling as an idea hit him.

"Do you guys wanna hear a story?"

"A story?"

"What about?"

"Pirates!"

"Yeah!" The twins cheered and Luffy grinned before retelling one of the books he had practically memorized. When the characters shouted, he shouted and when it was dangerous he made his voice all scary. When it was funny his voice was light and sometimes he would go quiet and then yell out something really loud, startling them. It successfully distracted the two and soon he saw their mom walking over.

"Hi Mom!" Luffy waved and she smiled down at the three of them.

"Did you guys get lost?"

"Yeah! Luffy was telling us a cool story though!"

"Really? What was it about?"

"Pirates!"

Mom took one of Ace's and one of Sabo's hands and began walking as they talked about the story Luffy had just told. She looked back and smiled at Luffy with happiness before turning back to her younger two sons. When she turned away, Luffy's smile slightly faded as he looked longingly at his Mom.

He wanted his hand to be held too.

* * *

Fingers tapped on the keyboard frantically, typing out a message that was new information, essential to his partner's understanding. They had just gotten more information of the drugs – Doflamingo was on the move again. They had one child who was exceptionally violent. He enjoyed tormenting and torturing people and would kill animals whenever he could.

The man spat in disgust at the man who wore a pink feather jacket.

He just hoped that Garp would be able to figure out who the child was before it was too late.

* * *

**Snow Day** (Luffy 8, Ace and Sabo 5)

Luffy threw a snowball, laughing when it got Ace in the face. Ace yelled at him before throwing one back, but Luffy easily dodged it. Luffy walked over through the knee-deep snow and picked up his little brother, who was screaming at him, before falling backwards purposefully. He laughed when Ace yelped. Luffy began to make snow angels while Sabo laughed at them. Luffy grinned and sat up, grabbing him by the arm, and pulling him down as well. Ace grunted and they both stared up at Luffy in annoyance. Luffy laughed and soon enough, all of them were laughing and rolling in the snow.

"Guys, do you wanna make a snowman?" Luffy asked them as he stood, letting them fall off of his legs and into the snow. They both grinned up at him, nodding their heads. "Yosh! I'll make the body, you guys can make the head!"

They all set to work, trying to roll a big ball for the snowman. In the end, the snowballs weren't the biggest or even very round, but they managed to make a snowman. They used tree branches for his arms, an old plastic cup for his nose, rocks for his eyes and a fruit rollup for his mouth. They gave him a big hat and a scarf, too.

"He looks good to me!" Luffy said, with snow collecting on his head. His nose and cheeks were red, much like his brother's were.

"Ace! Sabo! Luffy! Come on inside! I have some hot chocolate!"

The second their Mom said hot chocolate, they were sprinting as fast as they could through the snow, racing to get inside first. Luffy beat them and managed to get his boots, snow pants, gloves, hat, and jacket off in record time. His Mom had to help his brother's get the rest off. Once they were all out of their snow gear, she handed them all hot chocolate and brought them into the living room, putting in _The Goonies_ for them to watch.

Luffy watched the whole time, bouncing in his seat throughout the whole adventure, grinning and giggling the whole time. When it was over, he turned to his brother's to talk about the movie and saw that they had fallen asleep on each other, tuckered out from the day. Luffy smiled at them before getting up and grabbing a blanket and putting it over them, so they wouldn't catch a cold. Then, Rouge played video games with him for a few hours, ranging from Mario Kart to the Lego games and games about pirates.

He thought it was the best snow day ever.

* * *

**Uncle Rayleigh** (Luffy 8 almost 9, Ace and Sabo almost 6)

"You're doing very good, Luffy," The gray haired man praised the boy, who grinned and laughed his signature laugh in response. Luffy threw back the baseball, which Rayleigh caught with ease.

Luffy's uncle – he wasn't really his uncle, but they called him that – Rayleigh was visiting them today and had offered to play catch with Luffy. Luffy was ecstatic. They had been playing for an hour and finally Luffy was getting his aim right.

Luffy suddenly sneezed and wiped at his nose. He wasn't liking the fall this year because of how often he had been sneezing lately.

He looked up, startled, when there was a hand on his head, and saw Rayleigh grinning down at him. Luffy grinned back up and was about to say something when a voice cut him off.

"Luffy!" The boy turned, blinking curiously, as his little brother's ran up to him. "Luffy, look at this!"

"Oooohhh! That's a big bug! Where did you find it?" Luffy grinned at his brother's as they showed him the bug – it was big and purple and as big as Ace's palm. Rayleigh chuckled at the boy's as they chatted over the bug until it flew away, causing them to whine slightly.

"Would you boys like me to take you to go see some other animals in the woods?"

"Yeah!"

"Can you do that uncle Rayleigh?"

"Please? I wanna do it!"

Rayleigh merely laughed.

* * *

"Sir, what are we going to do about the boy?"

The blond stared at the pictures of the boy who was positively determined to be Dragon's son. The boy was so happy…

It made him sick.

He picked up a knife and brought it down onto a picture, glaring.

"Make him suffer. Do you still have the other boy, our experiment?"

"Yes, sir. He's gotten progressively more violent, killing and maiming small animals, and there are no physical side affects. It is the best drug we have created yet and he is a very good vessel to test all of the drugs on."

"Good. Bring him to me. He will be key to the plan."

He stood and left the room. The curtains of the large wall-to-wall windows were drawn back, allowing the sun to shine down on the desk. There were several pictures, but only two where the man's workspace was. One was of Luffy – the picture was in perfect condition. The picture next to it of a tan, blond haired boy was stabbed in it's center, right over the boy's throat.

* * *

**AN: So, this chapter has fluff and drama! I hope it's a good combination of the two. There's a lot of fluff next chapter for those of you who like fluff and then, hehehe, drama in abundance. I'm excited for the upcoming chapters. I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter!**

**Yah!: Thank you! :) and I'm not going anywhere - I'm actually working on other stories too**

**Tsuki.d.14: Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far. And your English isn't bad at all! The only mistakes were grammar, which I get wrong and I speak English natively. I also know the difficulties of learning a new language, as well, so your English is really good. I hope you like the story as it continues to progress :)**

**spoons-are-evil: I love Shanks so much! This was the only way I could really fit him in the story. And I had sleepovers when I was little, around 7 or 8, but they were very, very bad. I wish I couldn't have had one until I was 13. And as for Luffy's friends, you'll be seeing some new faces coming up in future chapters. I can't leave Luffy alone - that would be way to mean of me considering...well...you'll understand as the story continues to move - I can't say more or there will be major spoilers. As for their fall, it was nothing mad. If you see kids perfectly fine while a parent freaks out, it was one of those situations. Those two are perfectly healthy.**

**Thank you for reading, following, fav-ing, etc. Please review, I would like to hear what you think! Oh, and if you see any grammar errors, please do tell! I won't bite! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Warnings: Fluff, mentioned bullying**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece. I own only my words and the plot.**

* * *

**Thunderstorms** (Luffy 9, Ace and Sabo 6)

Sometimes Ace and Sabo were allowed to sleep in their parents' bed if there was a storm like this, but tonight was not one of those nights. Their parents were trying to make them stop sleeping in their bed – had been for two years but those two boys were good at lock picking for some reason (coughUncleRayleighcough).

The rain pounded on the windows. Lightening flashed in the sky making the trees look like monsters. Thunder made it sound like huge footsteps were going to land on their house. The two boys huddled together in one bed, shivering while trying to ignore it.

Neither noticed that Luffy had woken up, gotten out of bed and walked over.

When the covers were lifted they screamed in fear. Luffy blinked, stunned, before smiling at his brothers and crawling into the bed with them, lying in the middle. Both were confused until he pulled them both to his chest.

"Don't worry. I won't let the storm hurt you! I'll protect you!"

His brothers were eased and within minutes both were sound asleep on his chest.

* * *

**Meet the Friends** (Luffy 9, Ace and Sabo 6)

Luffy had a rough two years in school after Shanks and the others got sent to the other school. All of the kids were still jerks and he still had no friends in his grade. And even though he was taking karate, he didn't use it in fights because he would get in more trouble and he got beat up a lot.

That changed one day.

He had been sitting alone at the swing set, watching the others play, when he saw some other kids approaching him. He kept his face blank as he watched them and was surprised when he was invited to play that day.

They became his best friends within an hour.

Zoro had green hair and did kendo since his family owned a dojo. Sanji had blond hair and wanted to be a cook when he got older. Both of them fought a lot but they were still best friends. Usopp was a coward and liar but he was still really nice and he could draw really cool pictures. Last was Nami, a girl he recognized as one of Ace and Sabo's friends older sisters. She had orange hair and loved tangerines and oranges and she hit him but it was out of annoyance, not meanness.

They would play every day at recess and one day, when they saw him getting beat up, they chased the bullies away. They asked why he didn't fight back and were surprised by his response, something Shanks had taught him.

"They weren't hurting anybody else. It wasn't worth it."

For some reason, after that, he became a ringleader of sorts. He didn't mind it; he liked it a lot knowing they trusted him. And he wasn't going to do anything to push his friends away. He swore to himself he would keep his friends safe like he did his brothers.

* * *

**The Formation of the Strawhats** (Luffy almost 10, Ace and Sabo 7)

"I'll be the captain!"

"No! The Great Usopp wants to be captain!"

"I'm gonna be captain!"

"Shut up!"

Luffy and Usopp whined as Nami punched them both over the hands, huffing with her hands on her hips. Luffy grinned up at her and giggled.

"Nami, you can be our navigator!" Her eyes sparkled and she grinned mischievously.

"Only if you pay me to do it! I'll be adding 300 beli to your tab!" The girl smirked, but Luffy only whined for a few seconds before laughing and turning to Sanji.

"Sanji, you're the cook!"

"Don't order me around, shit head!" The ten year old spat despite the happy look in his eyes.

"Zoro," Luffy pointed at the green-haired boy. "You're our swordsman!"

"Ok," Zoro said, nodding. "But I don't follow orders."

"Yosh!" Luffy cheered, throwing his arms up in the air. "We have our crew!" Luffy and all of his friends smirked. "Now, let's go have adventures!"

They were, from then on, the town's biggest troublemakers.

* * *

**Sick** (Luffy 10, Ace and Sabo 7)

Rouge loved her family with her whole heart.

She had a loving husband and three wonderful sons and she wouldn't change it for the world.

When Ace and Sabo were born, she saw Luffy grow up a little. He didn't let anyone touch his brothers except for his parents and family, took naps with them and played with them. He seemed to like them a lot better than she had seen other kids with their baby sisters and brothers.

Ace and Sabo's first word was Luffy. Roger and Rouge knew then that their kids would be inseparable.

However, she noticed something change as Luffy got older. He gave a lot and never expected anything in return. One day she saw Sabo carrying around Luffy's favorite teddy bear, Sunny, and when she asked why, he said Luffy had given it to him. She was also concerned with the fact that he hadn't cried in several years, not since he was around five. It made her worry.

He didn't even cry when he got sick, like he was now. Rouge sat on the edge of her sons' bed as he lay in bed. His cheeks were flushed, he was coughing and he had recently thrown up. She had never heard his breathing become so harsh. She put her hand on his forehead and frowned at the temperature – it was very hot. She went to pull her hand away but stopped when she heard Luffy whine and reach out in his delirium. She put her hand back on his head and smiled when he calmed. After a few minutes of sitting there, running her fingers through his hair, she kissed his forehead.

"I love you, Luffy," She whispered. She was very proud of her son. He had gotten lost with Ace and it began pouring and only Luffy had a raincoat and he gave it to his brother. He stood there for an hour , waiting like he was told to do, and was soaked and sick by the end while Ace was fine, only slightly cold. She wasn't happy that it had even happened, that they had gotten lost in the first place; but it was just one of the reasons she loved her son so much – he protected his family.

Pulling up the covers more, she stood and walked out of the room, turning the lights off to let him rest.

* * *

**AN: So, four scenes of Luffy's life this time. The reason is because next chapter is one really long scene and I didn't want to put two together. Also, this was a bunch of fluff whereas next chapter kind of is but at the same time it isn't...you'll see when I post it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

**shadowmarialove: I'm very happy that you like it! :) **

**Tsuki.d.14.: I'm sure that it'll get better. You should see my grammar when I'm learning French, or even better, look at American English speaker's writing or speaking. Sometimes it's okay but other's it makes me shiver. And your English is awesome, just thought I would say. It's perfectly understandable. And I'm happy Luffy is a good older brother. Yeah, that line was something I have experienced. I'm an older sister and nowhere near as good as Luffy is a big brother in this, but I have experienced some of the same things Luffy has felt or will experience, just on smaller scales. And snow is very fun and I hope you can play in it some day. I want Doffy to suffer too, but you'll have to wait to see what happens with him.**

**Thank you for reading, fav-ing, following and reviewing! Please tell me if you see grammar errors and what you think of the story! I love to know what you think! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Warnings: violence, angst, fluff**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece. I own only my words and the plot.**

* * *

Wolves (Luffy 10, Ace and Sabo 7)

The man was sitting in his throne-like chair in a luxurious room filled with riches and ancient treasures. His legs were crossed and he sat intimidatingly, staring down at the man before him with a displeased expression.

"I told you to set out three rabid wolves into that area, not two."

"Y-yes, Sir. I-I'm ve-very sorry. I'll f-fix it r-right away!"

"No need."

The man was shot through the head. He fell, face first onto the floor, his blood pooling around him. The man with the pink feather jacket smirked and turned to a man standing by the door.

"You," The man turned to him and bowed. "Put some more wolves in that forest. I don't care how many, just do it. And make at least one is ill with rabies."

"Of course, Sir Donquixote."

The man walked out and the man named Donquixote turned back to the table he sat at. There, sitting next to him, was his adopted heir and the other child he abhorred aside from Luffy. He had thought his wife had given him his own son, but the damn bitch had cheated on him. He had left the child to experimenting for years, but after learning more about his dead wife's affair, he thought it would be good to punish her, as well. After all, now all those fools could do was watch from the grave as he slowly killed the boys. He was purposefully feeding him drugged food to make him insane, but Donquixote didn't care. The boy's only purpose was to kill the other boy. And besides, he could always adopt a new heir or find another wife – he was rich and such a thing would be quite easy to do.

"Bellamy," The boy turned to look up at him with a startled expression. He was tan with blond hair – and older version of the boy in the ruined picture that sat in the second drawer in Donquixote's desk. "I'm going to teach you everything I know on how to kill. Your first mission will be to kill the boy I've heard you have harassed over the past few years – Monkey D. Luffy."

* * *

Luffy knew he was going to be in trouble.

He had been told not to play this deep in the woods, and while normally he would ignore it, he should've listened just this one time.

He was, after all, with six seven year olds. None of their siblings were here to help him with the si…sitea…situ?...situation.

But he didn't and I was now his fault that his brother was on his back, calming down from crying. In one hand he held Ace's hand and he in turn held Kidd's hand. In the other he held Thatch's hand, who held Marco's and Marco held onto Law's hand.

"Luffy, will Sabo be ok?" Ace looked at his brother with worried eyes Luffy grinned widely at his brother despite his inner worries.

"Everything will be fine Ace!" Ace didn't look entirely convinced but said nothing against it since he knew Luffy was just trying to cheer him up.

"Luffy, where are we?" Thatch asked as he looked around with scared eyes. The sun was almost set and it was getting darker out. Luffy looked at all of the younger boys. He knew Sabo didn't like the dark; Ace didn't like dark nights when there was a storm; Marco looked comfortable but then again Marco only smiled or looked bored; Thatch looked like he was going to burst into tears; Kidd looked annoyed; Law looked sleepy.

Luffy then realized what Thatch asked him and he looked around. It seemed like they were close to home and he really hoped they were.

"I think we're almost home."

"You think?" Law looked at him while yawning and Luffy pouted.

"Yeah."

"You should know where we are, idiot!" Kidd yelled at him and Luffy looked at him, about to yell, when he heard something behind them that none of the other boys heard. He remembered something that his father had told him recently.

_"Luffy, promise me you will never go in those woods at night."_

_"Why?"_

_"There are wolves in there, Luffy."_

_"Wolves?"_

_"Yeah. They have returned now, after all those years, and they won't be nice like in some of your story books. Promise me, Luffy?"_

_"I promise, Dad."_

Luffy felt his heart stop as he remembered what his dad had said. Slowly, unnoticeably, he turned his head, biting his lip in worry. The other five looked up at him in confusion and he could somewhat feel Thatch pull on his sleeve, but he could only stare at the yellow eyes that looked right at him. He bet he could fight it off – he was the best at karate at his school – but he didn't know if he could while protecting these six.

"Marco, can you take Sabo?" Luffy asked the tallest boy there. He blinked, obviously confused, before agreeing. Luffy somehow got Sabo onto Marco's back, put Ace's hand in Kidd's, and promptly demanded, "Go to that light, it's the house, and don't come back."

They all looked at him, stunned, while Ace looked angry.

"What are you talking about, Luffy? What do you mean? I'm not gonna-"

"Ace."

They looked up at Luffy and saw a serious look on his face. He never had a serious look on his face.

Ace decided he didn't like it.

"I'm not going!" Ace yelled and Luffy looked back at the eyes again, seeing them still watching, slowly getting closer, before turning back to his brothers and their friends, doing something he had never done to his brothers before.

He yelled seriously, infuriated.

"Just go back to the house, idiot! You shouldn't be here!"

Ace looked hurt for a split second and Luffy felt really guilty but then Ace kicked his shin and shouted, "You're an even bigger idiot than I am, jerk!" then dragged his friends off, ignoring their protests.

_"But Dad?"_

_"Yes, Luffy?"_

_"What if I get lost in the woods and it gets to be night. What then?"_

_"The wolves don't like light and noise. We'll always have our light on at night; head there and you'll be safe."_

He knew if he didn't distract that wolf it would just attack all of them, and he promised to never let his brothers get hurt. He watched his brothers and their friends walk away until they were out of sight and, trembling, turned around to look at the wolf. It had emerged from the woods, making scary sounds, and Luffy felt absolutely terrified. The wolf was huge, probably weighed more than him since he was small for his age, and had sharp teeth that he could see from where he stood.

Luffy slowly crouched and picked up a large, stray rock on the ground. He threw it straight at the wolf, hitting it in the face. The wolf snarled lowly at him, crouching low to the ground. It lunged at Luffy and he moved to the side. He still got injured, a gash appearing on his side from the wolf's claws, making him yelp.

It turned around, eyes trained on him, and Luffy looked back where they younger boys once stood. They were out of sight. Luffy turned back to the wolf, which lunged at him once more, prepared to hunt.

He turned and ran.

_ "What if there's more than one person?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"What if I'm with my friends?"_

_"If you can all run fast enough you'll be ok. If not, you can cause a distraction. But I never want you to do anything like that. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes...Dad, I want meat!"_

_"Hahahaha, let's go get some food then."_

_"Yeah!"_

* * *

Ace stormed angrily into the house and let go of his friends' hand. He couldn't believe Luffy called him an idiot! He was dumber than both him and Sabo.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it, Ace," Marco tried to calm his fuming friend, but he just got a glare and sighed. Behind them, Kidd slammed the door. Seconds later, all of their parents walked in to watch as they took of their muddied sneakers and boots.

Rouge and Roger both panicked upon seeing Sabo.

"What happened to Sabo?" Rouge asked as she took him off of Marco's back, looking at the scrapes on his face, arms and knees and frowning.

"Sabo tripped and fell down a hill. He passed out on the way back," Law answered as his own mother checked over him. All of the kids noticed the adults looking for something missing and they wondered what it was and why they looked so worried.

"Yeah, and we were coming back but it got dark and we were lost. Luffy told us to come to this light," Thatch exclaimed as his mom fussed over him. He pushed her away, pouting and whining, but all of the boys were startled when Roger raised his voice and Rouge paled.

"Luffy's still in the woods?"

Ace had never heard his dad sound like that before. Mom had never looked that worried either.

"He called me an idiot and told us to leave."

Roger kneeled to Ace's level, hands on his shoulders, and asked him with a serious expression, "Was he acting weird?"

It was Kidd who replied.

"He kept looking behind us. That was when he yelled."

Roger and the other dads had immediately run out of the house. The kids didn't know why and just let their mothers lead them inside for some food.

* * *

Luffy was breathing hard. He was running as fast as his little legs could carry him. He had no idea where he was. It was dark and he kept tripping over roots and rocks and he had run into lots of branches. His face hurt and he could feel some blood in his mouth from when a branch smacked him in the mouth.

He heard the snarling behind him getting closer and panicked even more. He felt as if he had been running forever. His lungs burned and his feet hurt.

Out of nowhere, another wolf appeared and lunged at him. He cried out in pain as he felt sharp claws on his face and then he felt teeth in his leg and fell to his knees in pain. He kicked out at the wolf with his other foot, catching it in the snout. It growled before the other wolf attacked it. Both of the wolves snarled, then there was lots of barking and he realized they were fighting each other. Holding onto his cheek, he began running again as best as he could. The world was now dark and blurry and he stumbled more, but he did get away from the fight.

After running for what he thought was ten minutes, he turned around and began walking backwards, looking for any sign of the wolves. But, the ground underneath one of his feet gave out. It wasn't there anymore. His eyes widened in fear as he felt his body fall and he couldn't voice any sounds as he fell. Within seconds, he hit water.

Then he really panicked.

Since where they lived wasn't near the ocean or any clean body of water, swimming wasn't common - the last time he swam was at Shanks' house years ago - and he never learned how. He was, and always had been, an anchor in water. It didn't help that it hurt to move his leg. He thrashed about in the water, trying to reach up for air, but he just felt himself sinking deeper. His lungs felt like they were on fire and he didn't really understand why. All he knew was it was darker than before and he was really cold. He felt really heavy too. His frantic splashing stopped and he could only stare at the moon he could barely see above the water as darkness creeped into his vision.

Warm arms grabbed him and he was yanked up. When he felt air again and when he could breathe, he began coughing hard, taking big gulps of air. He opened his eyes and stared, confused as to what happened. He saw he was being taken away from the river. His eyes widened.

Someone saved him.

He turned his head and saw his dad looking at him in concern, bringing a hand up to brush his finger across his injured cheek.

"Are you all right, Luffy?"

Luffy's lip trembled and he sniffled and then cried really loud, hugging his dad and repeating "Daddy" over and over. He felt his dad rub his back soothingly and he swore he heard him talking to other people, and then he was being carried home.

He calmed eventually but tears still fell down his face and once in a while he hiccupped. He could hear the other men, who he assumed were the other kids dad's but he couldn't tell in the dark, talking ahead of him in hushed tones. He looked at his own dad and remembered he broke his promise.

"Sorry, Daddy," He whispered while trembling. His dad looked at him with confused eyes; it had been a while since Luffy had said Daddy. Luffy continued. "I broke the promise."

The arms around him tightened and he felt a kiss planted in the top of his hair before he heard his dad talk again. "It was an accident. You guys were almost home…You did good. They returned safely."

Luffy grinned and laughed before snuggling deeper into his dad. He heard his dad chuckle as he watched the forest ending before his eyes and soon enough, he was in his back yard, staring at the dark, scary woods with an even scarier river.

* * *

Ace groaned in frustration when Thatch beat him in Mario Kart. He thought he was going to win too! Sabo laughed next to him, covered in Band-Aids but awake and happy now. Marco frowned, he had lost too, while Kidd just huffed, since he came in last. He saw Law grinning nearby. Ace stuck his tongue out at Thatch who just pointed and laughed at him. The two began to wrestle and it was all fun and they forgot about what had happened earlier.

"Luffy!"

Until that scream.

All six of the kids looked out the doorway upon hearing Ace and Sabo's mom say his name with worry. All of the adults were being really loud now.

"I thought he stayed in the woods," Sabo looked at his brother, confused, but Ace just crossed his arms and glared out the door.

"That jerk can stay out there!"

"C'mon Ace. It's not like we haven't called you an idiot before," Thatch poked his friends cheek but Ace just bit his finger.

"He hasn't! And 'sides, he's dumber than me. He also can't tell me where I can and can't go."

"Ace, that's not nice," Sabo frowned at his twin. This was the first time there had been a somewhat big fight between the siblings and he didn't like it.

"What are you doing, Law?" Kidd asked. Everyone looked at Law who was walking for the doorway.

"I wanna know what's going on."

Law walked out and all the boys scrambled after him a few moments later, not wanting to be left out either. Law was fast, though, and already in the kitchen by the time they got there.

All of the boys froze upon seeing Luffy and Roger.

The first they saw was Roger since he was bigger. He was soaking wet. He was also going through the cabinets, searching for something. What really scared them was Luffy. He was soaking wet, trembling and had blood running down his face, his side and his leg. Rouge was holding him in his lap, whispering to him softly as one of the other mom's, Law's, went to get the missing thing Roger couldn't find and one of their dad's went to grab them new clothes.

"Mom! What happened to Luffy?" Sabo shouted as he ran up to Rouge's side, looking at his big brother with worried eyes. Yes, Luffy was clumsy and got hurt a lot, but it was never like this – there was never this much blood. His Mom smiled down at him reassuringly while she ran her hand through Luffy's hair, trying to calm his visible trembles.

"He'll be ok, Sabo."

Sabo bit his lip as Law's mom came back into the room with what they had needed and he saw it was a first aid kit. He looked over at his friends, to see them all standing out of the way, while Ace looked hesitant about approaching.

Suddenly, Luffy was picked up by Law's mom and sat on the counter. Sabo remembered she was a doctor as she took out some bottles, a needle and string from the first aid kit she had brought in.

"Stitches," Law whispered, but all of the kids still heard him.

Ace could only watch as Law's mom wiped away the blood on his big brothers cheek, calmed him and then stuck the needle in his skin. Ace's hands clenched his shirt and he looked down, feeling guilty. When she was done, he could hear his brother mumble thank you before he was lifted into their dad's arms and brought upstairs to their room. The rest of them were ushered to go play more games while the parents talked about whatever happened, but they couldn't focus on the game.

Ace and Sabo didn't realize that their dad had come and sat down in the living room in front of the six of them until he spoke.

"He's happy you six got back safe."

"Dad, what happened?" Ace demanded, looking up with a frown on his face. Roger sighed as he spoke to the six of them.

"Those woods are safe in the day but they aren't at night. There are wolves out there and they are a lot meaner than dogs. Luffy saw them and knew you guys wouldn't be able to out run them, so he had you get back safe and distracted the wolves."

All of the young boys looked guilty at that point.

"I'm gonna go say sorry," Thatch said as he stood.

"He won't like that."

"Why not?"

"I think he'll like this better…"

* * *

Luffy was in bed, trying not to think about the scary wolves or the scary water. He curled into a ball under his sheets, holding himself as he tried not to cry.

The door opened and he flinched. His shaking stopped and he listened as there were many small approaching footsteps. He didn't stop the small hands from pulling the covers down and just stared at his brothers and their friends. He watched as Ace was pushed closer and his brother bit his lip. Luffy was concerned until he heard what his brother said.

"Thank you!" He said with a red face, his eyes darting around the room from embarrassment. Luffy blinked and watched as the other boys repeated the word. He looked up and saw his dad in the doorway, smiling at them. Luffy looked back at the younger boys and smiled at all of them.

"No problem!"

* * *

It was late night. All of their friends had gone home and their parents were in bed, but Ace and Sabo couldn't sleep. Both were sitting up in their beds, watching with guilty, sad faces as Luffy tossed, turned and whimpered in his sleep. They looked at each other and nodded, crawling out of bed and tiptoed over to Luffy's to climb in. They each took a side – Ace on the left, Sabo on the right – and hugged him tight. They felt their big brother seem to calm down and even in the dark they saw his small smile. Both looked over their brother at each other and smiled before nuzzling into him.

For the first time, they felt they did something to protect their brother.

* * *

**AN: I feel like I just confused a lot of you, maybe, because of the loop I threw in at the beginning. In reference to the first chapter - Doffy had a wife, she cheated and lied about who the child's father was because he looked like Doffy. She got found out, Doffy killed her and gave the child to the scientists of his group who make the drugs, ultimately driving the poor boy insane. And now, to punish his dead wife much like he is punishing the dead Dragon, he is using Bellamy as his tool to kill Luffy - he even adopted the poor kid. Poor Bellamy :( I feel so mean! Then again, this is labelled as a tragedy for a reason...*(These sentences might be spoiler, but I actually really like Bellamy now. I wrote this story before Dressrosa, though, and I didn't want to go back and change everything.)***

**Anyway, things will be explained more as the story goes on. I really hope this story just doesn't get too...weird, so to say. **

**spoons-are-evil: I believe that this chapter has just disproved your theory. I was going to make it Law, but I wanted to do a character who wasn't really well liked at the time, someone who wasn't going to return. Well, I made a bad prediction, didn't I? *laughs at self* Ah, oh well. **

**I love writing the fluff between the brother's! It's one of my favorite parts. But I'm also happy with the Strawhats arrival as well. And nope, they'll kick any bully's ass. I felt bad it took so long for him to find more friends, but he still has them and all was good until, well, now, I guess. And I always imagined Luffy would've been a really awesome older brother like Ace and Sabo were. And if I made Luffy really sick in this story, I think you would all hate me. That would just make it...NO it's not going to happen! I'm not going to think of what that would've done. Maybe in another story, but not in this one.**

**shadowmarialove: I'm happy this takes you out of the world of boredom! That was how this story was born - I've been there. I hope you enjoyed this chapter - it got very dark.**

**Tsuki.d.14.: You're already really good at English if you still have 3 years left of that class. And I've never slept with my siblings, but I have given up my blankie/stuffed animals for them sometimes. They don't like sleeping with me - we would probably all end up kicking each other in the face, anyway. We're restless sleepers. And I've scared my siblings before too. Can't do it anymore though because both of them are taller than me. They grow up so fast! D: And yep, the subtle hints are being picked up by Rouge and you'll see what else happens with that eventually.**

**Thank you for reading! I'm sorry if any of you don't like dark stuff, but once again, this is labeled a tragedy for a reason - one such is violence. Anyway, please tell me what you think of this chapter! Thanks for reading/reviewing/fav-ing/following this story! (And please do tell if there are any grammar errors.)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Warnings: Fluff, minor violence, possible OOC characters**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece! Not me!**

* * *

**Books and Shacks** (Luffy 11, Ace and Sabo 8)

Luffy was bouncing up and down in excitement.

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami and Usopp had been eating at a restaurant when they realized they didn't have enough money. So, once again, they did an eat-n'-run. They had run all through the town and through the woods on the opposite side from their houses and they had stumbled upon this.

A huge field with a shack in the middle of it, a tree next to it with a swing, and the river on the far side; the river was so wide they could barely see past it.

"This place is huge," Usopp said, eyes wide in awe. Zoro grunted, seemingly unimpressed, while Sanji just stared.

"This place isn't on any town map. I don't get why – it's amazing," Nami said, mostly to herself, as she looked around the perimeter of the land.

"Adventure!" Luffy shouted, taking off at top speeds toward the shed.

"Don't just run off, idiot!" They all turned to him and yelled with angry looks on their faces before running after him. Zoro ran the wrong way at first until Nami yelled at him and dragged him in the right direction.

Luffy reached the shack long before any of the others had and slammed the door open.

"Hello! Anybody here? Oh, hi!" Luffy blinked in surprise when he realized that there was, in fact, somebody in the shack. She had black hair with bangs framing her face and large, blue eyes. She was surrounded by many books and had one in her lap. She looked up with a startled expression before she gave a small smile. "My name is Luffy! What's your name?"

"My name is Robin. It's nice to meet you, Luffy," She said with a very calm voice. Luffy smiled and moved into the shack, sitting next to her.

"What are you reading?"

"A book about pirates."

"Pirates?!" Luffy's eyes sparkled when she said the word and she giggled a little.

"Yes. I have others. Do you want to read one?"

"Yeah!"

When the other four got there, they were all dumbfounded that Luffy was actually _reading_, but then they too stuck around to read.

Their small group of friends increased by one.

* * *

**Fights** (Luffy 11, Ace and Sabo 8)

"It is real!"

"No it's not! It's just a myth!"

"I saw it!"

"I bet that you saw a tree!"

"I bet your parents dropped you as a baby!"

"I'll kick your butt!"  
"Not before I kick yours!"

"Enough!"

I watched, laughing, as Nami smacked Zoro and Sanji over the head. They were fighting about whether or not Bigfoot was real.

"Witch."

"What did you say, moss head?"

"Hah? You wanna fight curly brow?"

"Shut up!"

Nami smacked them again and they both glared at me when I pointed and laughed. Next to me, Usopp was snickering. Nami huffed at the two.

"You two are both stupid! Now stop fighting. Can't you just get along for once?"  
"No way!"

"Not gonna happen!"

"G-guys, d-don't fight," Usopp said, now shaking next to me. Zoro and Sanji both turned to him and yelled.

"SHUT UP!"

"I'm sorry!"  
Usopp hid behind Nami and she smacked Zoro and Sanji again before she began yelling again. It was really funny too! I'm happy she's not yelling at me, 'cause her hits hurt.

While Nami was yelling, I saw a bunch of other kids running over to the grove. It was this small place hidden by trees and grass that the teachers didn't know about. Kids fought there all the time. Curious, I took off after them.

When I got there, I had to shove my way through a bunch of kids my age. Why is everybody so big? I could hear them cheering and yelling but they wouldn't let me through. When I finally made it out, I was rrrrreeeeaaaalllllyyyyy angry. There was Bellamy the bully, fighting my little brothers.

I know that both of them are strong. They take karate too and are best in their class. But Bellamy took karate, judo and a lot of other stuff like that and they were younger than him.

I growled and ran forward, taking a punch in the face that almost landed on my already hurt brother.

"Luffy!" I heard Ace yell out in surprise.

"What are you doing here, weakling?" He smirked at me and I growled, pulling up my fists.

"You can pick on me all you want, but I won't let you hurt my brothers!" I pulled back and punched him right in the face. I knew I could take him – he may take more ma…murtle…morsha…martial arts than me but I can kick his butt! I fight a lot more than he does!

He stumbled back and then, glaring, ran at me. I brought my arms up to block the attack and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to groan. He jumped and kicked me in the face. I stumbled and opened my eyes only to see a fist. I let myself fall to the ground, avoiding it, and then head-butted him. It really hurt! We both held our heads before glaring at each other and lunging while yelling.

I couldn't really tell what happened. I could hear people cheering as we rolled around on the ground, punching and kicking each other.

"Enough!" I was dragged off of Bellamy and he was dragged away from me as well. I looked up and knew I was in trouble.

There stood two of our teachers, holding us apart.

* * *

"Luffy, how many times have we told you not to get into fights at school?"

"I know the past few years you haven't, but it's gotten worse all of a sudden. You need to stop fighting."

"But Mom, Dad-"

"No, Luffy. We don't care if you fight at karate or wrestle with your friends and brothers, but this is unacceptable. Go to your room."

"I don't wanna."

"Luffy, now."

"No!"

Dad stood up with a sigh, grabbed me by the arm and dragged me, kicking and screaming, to my room. He lightly pushed me in before closing the door behind him. I turned around to open it but froze when I heard him put on the lock.

"We'll come get you soon, Luffy. Stay in there for now."

I glared at the door as my dad walked away and crossed my arms. I walked over and sat at the only bedroom in the room since I now had my own room while Ace and Sabo shared one.

Yeah, I've fought a lot more this year. But! They were bullying my friends! Arlong hurt Nami and Usopp and I beat him up a few times until he finally stopped. Bellamy bullied me for years and I never did anything! And when I fight back for my brothers I get in trouble! I don't like it.

It reminded me of what Shanks said when we were younger, when he saved me from some big jerks in his grade.

_"You can call me names and you can beat me up all you want. It won't hurt me. But if I find out you hurt my friends, no matter who you are, I'll kick your ass!"_

I thought about another thing Shanks had taught me.

_"Why do I do stuff even if I know I'll get in trouble? Well, that's the ultimate freedom, to do whatever you want! Ignore the consequences! Somehow, everything will turn out fine even if you get enemies. That's what I've learned. Yeah, I've beat up guys and got beat up and got yelled by adults for being in fights, but it's all worth it. I can protect my friends in the end, and that's all I need."_

Freedom…

I grinned.

I was going to find my freedom.

* * *

Far away from Luffy, in a house on the other side of town – a mansion rather – Bellamy was laying on his bed. He was bruised and beaten, a punishment for something he did not know. He failed a mission – but what mission? He was never awake to be given any missions, he looked in the mirror today and it looked like he had grown a year or two since yesterday, so he was clueless as to what Doflamingo meant.

All he knew was that he hurt badly and he wanted it to stop.

* * *

**Forgetfulness **(Luffy 11, Ace and Sabo 8)

"Boys! Don't go too far ahead!"

"Okay Dad!"

Luffy, Ace and Sabo were running ahead of their Dad, Rayleigh, and their Mom. They were out in town today. They had just seen a movie and they were going to head out to dinner in a half hour. For now, they were allowed to run around the park to their hearts content.

"What do you guys wanna do?" Sabo looked at his brothers, both of whom were thinking. Ace suddenly grinned.

"Well, we have nothing to play with, so why not hide and seek?"

"I wanna play!" Sabo agreed. Luffy grinned at them as Ace spoke.

"I'll look! You two hide!"

"Alright!"

"Let's go!"

Sabo ran off one way while Luffy ran the other. Luffy loved this game because his brother's were never able to find him.

He ran off and found a small clearing in the park woods that was invisible from the outside. He giggled as he made his way in and then turned, staring from the inside as Ace ran by, looking for him and Sabo.

"Who're you?"

Luffy turned around, startled and surprised when he saw Bellamy sitting in there. Luffy tensed as he looked at the boy who looked rather…off.

"It's me, Luffy," He said. "But you already know me."

"I do?" Bellamy sighed, and Luffy thought he looked far too old in that short moment. "Sorry. I can't remember. Can't seem to remember anything lately." There was a call for the blond boy in the distance and he stood with a grimace. "Gotta go. Maybe I'll see ya later." He ran off, leaving Luffy confused and, for some reason, concerned for the boy who had harassed him for years.

* * *

**AN: So, Robin enters their group of friends and a little more is revealed about Bellamy. Things are slowly starting to get moving in this story. Oh, and I didn't really check this chapter for spelling or grammar errors, just a quick glance, so please tell me if you saw any. Thanks!**

**Guest: I'm happy you enjoyed it and I'm happy Luffy is coming off as a good big bro. I felt that if I made the heir Law, it would be a little too predictable, especially concerning how the chapters are coming out. And I love Thatch! I can't leave him out - he's awesome.**

**spoons-are-evil: Bellamy was the ringleader of the bullies, so to say. He knows what's happening and what he does but at the same time he's clueless. You'll see why in future chapters. I feel like if Doffy was my dad, I would be terrified. And I figured those four would make good friends for Ace and Sabo; they'll come into play more later on. And wolves...they really do not like Luffy at all. And if Thatch and the others had said sorry, I think Luffy would've yelled out of frustration. It's good Roger has that insight.**

**shadowmarialove: Hahaha, thank you. I'm just happy that people are reading this story at all. And I like Sanji-speak; I get it a lot. Oh, and I'm a woman, but I don't care how you refer to me. Thank you:)**

**Thank you very much for reading this story! Please review and tell me what you think - I like to know what you guys think of this story! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Warnings: possible OOC characters, angst, character death, fluff**

**Disclaimer: I own my words and the plot only; Eiichiro Oda owns anything related to One Piece.**

* * *

**A Heroic End** (Luffy 11, Ace and Sabo 8)

"Grandpa?" Garp looked down at his oldest grandson. They had just had dinner and the two other boys were in the living room, watching TV. The boy looked curiously up at him as Garp washed the dishes from their meal. "What does it mean to be strong?"

Garp blinked, a little astounded with the boy's question. He turned off the sink and dried his hands before kneeling down to be at the boy's height.

"Why do you ask, Luffy?" The boy looked a little startled and embarrassed at the question, fidgeting where he stood – it was odd for the boy to do, but Garp paid it no mind.

"I was wondering because there's this guy who always wants to fight with me and he went after Ace and Sabo but there's other guys that bully my friends too and I can beat them up but I just get in trouble and I wanna be stronger so nothing bad happens to my brother's and friends again."

Garp was a little startled but gave the boy a soft smile. "Strength isn't just being able to punch a guy down, Luffy." The boy looked up at him, eyes curious and confused. "It's also being able to stand without fail and knowing when enough is enough."

"When enough is enough?"

"You'll understand it one day. The most I can explain it as is that you stop fighting even if you don't want to, because that can be strength as well." He pat Luffy on the head and stood. "Now, go watch TV with your brothers. I have cleaning to do."

Luffy pouted angrily. "But Grandpa! That made no sense! Explain it again! OW!" Luffy got punched over the head by a fist of love and glared up at his Grandpa. "What was that for?!"  
"I told you you'd figure it out when you're older! You should listen more often!" Garp scolded. The boy growled a little before stomping off to the living room. He didn't see the fond smile Garp wore once he left the room.

"You'll do great good one day, Luffy. Honestly, a child asking what strength is?" Garp chuckled a little in amusement, turning back to the sink to continue washing the dishes. "He's wise beyond his years already."

* * *

"He knows too much," Donquixote stated deceptively calmly. The man next to him stared at the monitor with Donquixote as Bellamy stood by his side, confused yet excited. "Vergo," Donquixote turned to the black haired man with glasses standing nearby. "I don't care how you do it, but kill Garp. Even kill the boy if you must – just make sure Garp is dead."

* * *

Outwardly, Garp smiled as he watched his grandsons running around the jungle gym at the park near his house. Right now, Luffy was running back and forth between two swings, pushing his brother's, both of whom were telling him to push them harder so they could go higher.

On the inside, Garp was concerned and on his toes.

He had learned everything about what Dragon was involved in over the years before he died. He knew how serious the drugs were. He knew that he was caught in the last days of his secret investigation.

He learned that Luffy was truly Dragon's son.

It made him extremely happy to know that the boy had lived, but at the same time, he knew the danger he would be in. He already assumed that the boy would be tracked down and there would be assassination attempts.

And all because of who his father was.

The thought sickened Garp. His son was killed in a heroic act and now his grandson would be in grave danger without even knowing why, innocent to it all, just because of his blood. He had already heard about the wolves. He knew that no wolves had lived there for fifteen years – it was why they bought that house. The woods were safe. And he was bullied in school by a boy with the last name Donquixote.

Garp felt disgusted with the world.

He looked up when the boys laughed loudly and smiled. They were playing hide-and-go-seek tag at the moment with a bunch of other kids.

He saw that Ace and Sabo were being chased by two of the kids. He searched the ground for Luffy and saw him hiding behind a tree – in plain sight, yet still not found. He pondered about the letter he had written that would reach him on his seventeenth birthday, should he not be around then.

Suddenly, there were screeching tires and Garp turned, seeing a black car speeding down the street without any license plates. They were heading towards the playground with a gun sticking out the window.

A gun aimed in Luffy's direction.

Garp bolted in the boy's direction as the car got closer. He saw Luffy smile up at him and wave, and the car was getting closer. Garp was a police officer, and no matter what, he would protect the innocent.

That was his job, and it was how he wanted to die.

There were several gunshots before the car sped away, leaving marks on the ground due to its speed. Several adults were screaming as some hurriedly dialed 911. Children were crying and running to their parents.

Garp was hugging Luffy protectively to his chest as blood seeped down his back. He was pretty sure he was shot in vital organs. He knew he would die.

Luffy trembled in his grasp as he looked up at Garp, tears forming in his eyes, which were dilated in fear. He was trying to say something as he looked at the large man who had blood dripping out of his mouth. He could vaguely hear the commotion around him, but right then, the world was just him and Garp.

"Luffy…I know you're strong…you'll do great things, one day…you…your parents…your brothers…I love you all…stay strong, Luffy."

Garp's body slipped from Luffy's small hands. He fell with a thud on the grass, his eyes closed and a smile on his lips. Luffy, shaking, sank to his knees as he stared at the form of his dead grandfather.

Dead…

The word caused the tears to fall. What had just happened? Why were there gunshots? Why were they aimed at him? Why did his Grandpa have to die? Why did he die for him?

Ace and Sabo were approaching in the background with red eyes and sore throats from trying to not cry. The sound of police and ambulance sirens was so far yet so close to them all.

They all wished they never asked to go to the park that day.

* * *

The weather was welcomed.

The weather was shunned.

Luffy frowned in sadness as he held back tears. The sun shone above in the sky without a worry in the world. It was hot out, the hottest day of the summer. Bugs were buzzing around and the birds were chirping.

But Luffy was not happy.

No one in his family was happy.

A few days ago, Grandpa died. He did it doing what he loved, saving people as a policeman, saving _him_, but it still hurt. Luffy didn't know what to do. He had never lost someone in this way before.

He stood before the grave of his Grandpa. Everyone else had already begun to walk back to the cars. Mom was talking to some friends of Grandpa's nearby, her eyes red. Dad and Uncle Rayleigh were both standing with Ace and Sabo while talking to each other. Ace and Sabo were really sad and neither could hold their tears.

Luffy looked back at the grave, surrounded by flowers. The casket was in the ground, mocking him. It made his grandpa seem so small and fragile. He hated it. He felt useless. He felt so utterly weak.

He wanted his Grandpa back.

But he would not cry.

Grandpa wouldn't want him to cry. Grandpa never cried. Men didn't cry. _Strong men_ could _not _cry.

So even though his family was sad, and he just wanted to cry for days and days and not stop, he wouldn't cry. He would live to his Grandpa's standards. He would be strong. He would become the strongest.

He would protect everyone.

No one would die for him again.

* * *

"Hahahahahaha! He fell for it! That old man was never that bright," Donquixote laughed manically, slamming his wine bottle on the table. Bellamy was grinning next to him while Vergo and all of the other men stood nearby silently. The blond haired man turned to the boy. "Bellamy, my lovely boy," He said, sickly sweet. "Your mission will start again, very, very soon. You'll be a hero to our group, my boy." The boy grinned excitedly while the man smirked, happy that everyone was acting as the perfect puppets they were.

* * *

His eyes widened in shock. The clicker he held in hand fell to the ground with a thud, echoing through the silent warehouse.

Garp was dead.

That meant that the boy was unprotected.

The man with the purple afro turned to run out of the house, to warn his family, but stopped in his steps upon seeing another figure.

"Vergo," He growled while glaring.

"I believe this is your end, Ivankov. Your "candies" have all been defeated as well. You can go see Dragon again."

"Vyou vwill not get avway vwith this!"

A shot echoed through the warehouse and the purple haired man fell to the floor.

"I believe I already have, idiot Okama," Doflamingo, who stood behind the fallen man with a gun in hand, smirked.

Neither of them bothered to look at what the computer had done before it self-destructed its own system.

* * *

**AN:** **Ahhh, finally we reached this point. This is a turning point for Luffy and now everything will speed up for him and Bellamy. I feel bad for killing Garp but it had to be done and the same can be said for Ivankov. So, how insane does Doffy seem to you guys? I really made him messed up in this story...**

**shadowmarialove: I wouldn't expect that at all and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter :)**

**spoons-are-evil: Yes, Robin enters. Her sense of humor always makes me laugh. And Roger and Rouge just think he's going through a rebellious phase, cause both of them had that phase when they were kids just a lot more...wild than Luffy's. As for your Bellamy theory, it has something to do with drugs but at the same time it's more than that. But as for the scene with Luffy, he thought his eyes looked older - to Luffy he looked very burdened for a child. And the mission, it's not that, he wasn't supposed to get caught by teachers. Doffy wants him to be a star student and if he fights, that won't work out well. And thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)**

**Lily Noir: Yes, Robin has arrived. And Luffy's wishes for freedom will be seen again later. And I feel awful for even writing about all the stuff that Bellamy went through, it's so horrible to do such a thing to anyone. It just shows how far gone Doflamingo is. And I think this chapter shows where this story will be going pretty well. And thank you :)**

**Thank you very much for reading this story! Especially to my reviewers, favorite-er's, and followers. This story probably wouldn't be updated without you guys. **

**Please review and tell me what you think! I like to hear what you guys have to say! :) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Warnings: minor fluff, violence, minor angst**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece but I own my words.**

**Soccer** (Luffy 12, Ace and Sabo 9)

Luffy kicked the ball with all his might, throwing his arms up in the air and giving a loud cheer when it went in. Not even a second later the ref blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game. The other team groaned, walking off the field with an air of disappointment. Luffy's teammates ran up to him, tackling him in a group hug.

Luffy turned and looked at his friends. Zoro, their goalie and his best friend, was grinning quietly from the net. Usopp, a defenseman, had run up to join the hug. Sanji, a forward, for once was not complaining about him stealing the girl's attention. The other team members, like Coby and Kohza, had also joined their group hug. His coach, his Uncle Rayleigh, was smiling proudly from the sidelines, while Nami was collecting money from the bet stand she had set up. All of the kids had lost and were whining about how much money they had lost to the cunning girl.

Luffy laughed in joy.

* * *

A half hour later, after the game had ended and Rayleigh made sure everyone had been picked up, the silver haired man drove Luffy home in his truck.

"You seem to like sports quite a lot, Luffy," The man said with a grin. Luffy laughed.

"I love sports and all that stuff! I don't have to think or anything like that."

Rayleigh laughed and gave the boy a pat on the head before reaching a drive-thru window, as the boy had earlier been complaining of hunger. Luffy was practically drooling by the time Rayleigh had the food in his hands and he had to slap the younger's hands away while he paid. Once they were out of the driveway safely, he allowed the boy to eat.

"Don't get any crumbs on the floor, alright?" Luffy gave an affirmative nod as he bit into the burger with a contented sound. Rayleigh stole a French fry, grinning when the boy whined at him.

Suddenly, a child ran out into the road.

"Uncle Ray! Watch out!" Luffy screeched, pointing ahead.

Rayleigh slammed on the breaks, jarring the both of them in their seats. Luffy's food fell to the floor as the tires screeched and Rayleigh attempted to regain control of their spiraling vehicle. The second he did, he moved the truck so that they wouldn't hit a tree right before them, missing by mere millimeters. Rayleigh stopped in the middle of the road, looking back where the child had once been, but saw no one there. He looked at Luffy, whose eyes were widened with shock and a little fear; both were breathing heavily from the sudden shock and near-death moment. Rayleigh patted him on the head comfortingly before moving the truck into the right lane again and taking off to the direction of the boy's house.

* * *

A half hour later, the child who had run in front of the truck – no other than Bellamy himself – was on the ground in Doflamingo's house. He was sporting bruised ribs and a black eye as his newest injuries.

He had no memory of what had happened a half hour earlier. All he knew was that it probably wasn't anything good. He didn't remember half of anything he did, actually. Everyday was black and then, he would wake up in a random place, completely unaware of anything except for the cruelty that was Doflamingo and a pain in his heart, yelling at him that he needed to apologize.

But for what?

He choked when he was suddenly lifted from the ground by his hair. Pills were shoved down his throat. Doflamingo used his large hand to cover Bellamy's mouth and nose, giving the boy no choice other than to swallow. Soon, his world began to disappear again. He prayed for a savior despite knowing it was futile.

He was this man's toy and there was no way out.

* * *

** Karate** (Luffy 12, Ace and Sabo 9)

Luffy fell to the ground, grunting slightly from pain. He pouted, looking up at the ceiling, groaning in annoyance.

He lost again.

A hand came into view and he grinned, allowing the larger, older boy to help him up.

"You're getting better."

"Shishishishi, thanks Lucci!"

"Don't thank me. You're the only one here worth fighting."

"Why do you say that?"

Lucci looked at him with that blank expression he always wore, only his eyes showing amusement, as Hattori flew in and landed on his shoulder.

"You're the only one who doesn't give up."

Luffy looked up with curiosity as Lucci walked off of the mats to go and sit on the floor nearby. He joined him after standing for a few moments, taking gulps of water before speaking to Lucci.

"What about Kaku and Kalifa and Jyabura? They don't give up."

"We all know each other though. We have for years. We know exactly how to beat each other. It's not really fun to fight them. And even though you're younger, you prove more of a challenge."

"Really?! You think I'm strong!"

Lucci gave a small, barely there smile as he nodded and pat Luffy on the head. Luffy laughed before taking out a snack his Mom had packed him and began devouring it.

"I think you'll do big things, Luffy."

Luffy looked up at Lucci with food all over his face.

"Why?"

"Because you're you."

* * *

**AN: Sorry this is a little late. I wanted to add another fluff scene with the brothers, but I've kind of had writers block all day. At least I got this out though, right? Ah, please tell me if you see any errors in here! It's all self-checked, so I could miss some stuff.**

**Lily Noir: (I understand very well parent's not remembering about that stuff. My Dad has had an iPhone for years and still asks how to use the internet or facebook on it.) I really didn't want to have to kill Garp, but if I killed either Ace or Sabo or their parents, I don't know how Luffy would've been able to get over it. And though he doesn't really get over his death, it affects him a lot later on in the story. As you said, it's a big motivator. You'll find out what Iva-chan did later, I promise you that.**

**shadowmarialove: I think Doflamingo would be more scared if he was sane, but he's not, and I can't say more or I'll spoil it. But don't worry, Luffy is the main character along with his brothers, but they'll come more into play later.**

**spoons-are-evil: I've always thought he's very wise beyond his years; I think all D's are, even Teach in some ways. Luffy'll figure it out eventually. Yes, Garp and Iva are dead - I hated writing that part. Doflamingo - I just made him extremely twisted in this. He's a huge jerk, and next chapter...ahh if I say anything I'll spoil it. You'll see what Iva-chan did to the computer later. **

**Thank you for reading this story! Please, please review and tell me what you think of it! I like to hear what you guys have to say! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Warnings: fluff, violence, minor angst**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, not me.**

* * *

**Return** (Luffy 12, Ace and Sabo 9)

_Crack_

"AH!"

"Sabo!"

_Clap_

Sabo opened his eyes nervously. The tree branch he had just been on cracked and he thought he was going to fall to his death, but he didn't. Sabo looked up with wide eyes at his older brother, his grip on his arm firm. Ace stared, blinking slightly in shock. He thought his twin was going to fall and get hurt.

"Shishishishi! Sabo, pay attention more, stupid!" Luffy said jokingly despite the serious look Sabo could see in his eyes.

"Thank you, Luffy," He mumbled as he was pulled up to another branch and lowered on to it.

"Luffy! Don't call other people stupid when you're stupid!" Ace yelled from further up the tree. Luffy frowned and looked up.

"That's not nice Ace and I'm not stupid!" He started off whining but ended yelling in annoyance.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

Sabo just sighed as his brothers began bickering and looked down, giving a wave to his friends at the bottom of the tree. They were with Law, Kidd, Marco and Thatch. They had been goofing around when they lost a kite in a tree. Luffy offered to get it but then Ace said he could get it and they fought and BAM it was a race to get the kite.

Tired and still slightly shocked, Sabo climbed down the tree, jumping to the ground when he was close enough, and looked up at his brothers.

"Don't fall!" He yelled up at them.

"You shouldn't be saying that, Sabo-ya," Law smirked at him. Sabo frowned and punched his shoulder, causing the other to grunt, while Thatch laughed at them in the background.

"You guys make a competition out of everything," Marco stated as he watched the two climb further up the tree. Luffy was winning and Ace was currently cussing at him. Marco thought maybe it wasn't a good idea to sneak into that movie with Ace since he used the words so often and they might get caught next time – they did it a lot.

"So?" Sabo looked at Marco but it was Kidd who replied.

"It's so annoying. You guys are so competitive."

Sabo frowned at his friends. They were all only children or only had sisters. "You guys don't have brothers. Everything is a competition when you have brothers."

"I wish I had brothers," Law said with a frown. They all looked at him with pity. He had several sisters, all older and most weird: Robin was a year older than Luffy, Tashigi was fourteen and Boa was seventeen. "Boa always tries to put me in dresses to make me a girl and orders me around like a slave then says she despises all men except for Luffy, Tashigi always babies me and then Robin _never _gives me an answer to anything! Girls are so confusing!" Law ranted before sighing and looking up. Kidd grunted.

"Girls suck," And they all knew for him they probably did because his sisters were insane. Nami, who was friends with Luffy, honestly scared Sabo with how violent and loud she was (not that he would ever admit it) and Nojiko always messed with them. He remembered that one time that Nojiko shoved them into Nami's room. That was really scary when Nami found out…

"I love girls!"

"Well your sister is actually cool!"

Thatch had an older sister named Haruta. She was like, fifteen or something, was good at Kendo and was really nice.

"Lucky Marco, being an only child."

"It gets lonely," He mumbled.

"You've got your birdy friend, pineapple!" Thatch grinned and Marco glared before kicking him. Thatch whined but was cut off by a cheer.

"I win!" Luffy screamed for the world to hear, holding the kite in his hand.

"You cheated!" Ace yelled, pointing his finger accusingly.

"How do you cheat at climbing trees?"

Sabo wasn't paying attention as they climbed down. He was looking towards their house, where he heard voices getting closer. It sounded like…

"Speak of the devils," Sabo mumbled. All the boys looked down the path. Law paled, Kidd groaned and Thatch grinned. Marco just stared with bored eyes.

"Why is Boa here?"

"Why are any of our sisters here?!" Kidd yelled back, stomping on the ground angrily.

Suddenly Nami ran up and punched him over the head.

"Don't bad mouth us, Kidd!"

"You witch! Don't hit me! OW!"

"Nami, I do not believe it is a good idea to hit him too much," Robin said, smiling at the girl.

"Yeah, stop hitting our stupid lil' bro. Can't have him losing any more brain cells than he already has," Nojiko agreed, smirking at her brother.

"Are you calling me stupid?!"

"See what I mean?"

"You're right, Nojiko. He needs all of the brain cells he has left," Nami said mockingly.

"Stupid women!"

"How dare you say such a thing, you stupid boy!"

"OW!"

"Boa, it's not good to hit young children like that."

"Spare me the begging Tashigi. I am above all of you!"

"Yo, squirt. How're ya doing?"

"Haruta! I'm good! Why are you guys here?"

Sabo sighed. This was going to be a disaster.

"Nami! Robin!" They all looked up and saw Luffy beginning to come down the tree much faster than before. He was like a monkey, swinging from branch to branch. Everyone except for Robin, Sabo and Ace panicked – he always did this and he never fell. Once down, he gave the kite to Marco and ran up to the girls.

"Luffy you idiot! Be more careful on trees!"

"Ow! Why did you hit me Nami?"

"You can't just go swinging on trees like that! You're not a monkey!"

"I know I'm not a monkey. I'm a human. Why are you calling me a monkey?"

"No – Luffy! I said you can't act like a monkey!"

"I wasn't acting like a monkey. I'm acting like myself."

"Ah!" Nami smacked her forehead in frustration while Luffy looked at her with a confused expression.

"Nami," Robin pat her on the shoulder, "I believe Luffy-logic will prevail."

Nami glared at Luffy before kicking him again, making him whine. The fuming Boa finally exploded.

"Do not hit Luffy, you barbaric woman!" Boa yelled at Nami.

"Don't call me barbaric, medusa!" Nami hissed like a cat.

"How dare you!" Boa screeched, causing the youngest boys to put their hands over their ears.

Nami and Boa began yelling at each other while Tashigi tried to stop them. Robin chuckled while Nojiko and Haruta just laughed. Ace, who had just jumped down from the tree, looked at all the other boys. They all looked at each other then back at the girls.

"I'll never understand them," Ace muttered. All of them could only nod. Luffy just stared at the girls with a confused look before picking his nose, getting bored with the fight.

Suddenly, Luffy was swept up into a hug.

"Luffy is mine you nuisance!"

"Yours?!"

"Yes! He is my future husband!"

"You pervert! He's five years younger than you!"

"Boa, that's not right," Nojiko said with a frown at the elder girl. Then all of the girls began fighting about who Luffy belonged to while he tried to get his face out of Boa's boobs – it was useless as none of the girls noticed his struggles.

Ace, Sabo, Thatch, Kidd, Law and Marco all gaped at the older girls in shock. They were fighting over who Luffy belonged to…

"Girls are scary," Thatch muttered. They watched as Luffy tried to get out of Boa's grip before finally stopping from lack of air, accepting defeat from the older woman as he knew that she wouldn't let him go. Whenever she got her hands on him, he was stuck in her grip for at least an hour.

Ace and Sabo had enough of watching their brother suffer.

They both stormed up to Boa, kicked her legs and dragged Luffy away before yelling "Luffy is ours you old hag!"

Law stared in shock and horror. They just brought Boa's wrath upon themselves. God bless their poor souls.

"OLD HAG?! Get BACK HERE you brats!" Boa screeched while chasing the two around while Luffy tried to get air into his lungs.

Everything stopped when they heard a growl.

Luffy froze in place. He had heard that growl before, two years ago in the dark forest, alone and scared. His cheek and leg throbbed as he slowly turned his head.

And there stood a wolf, foam at its mouth and a crazed glint in its eyes.

Marco, Thatch, Kidd and Law were pulled back by the girls behind them. Boa quickly grabbed Sabo, but she didn't grab Ace on time.

Luffy ran.

_"Dad?"_

_"What is it Luffy?"_

_"Is it bad to get bit by animals?"_

_"…is this about the wolves?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"In your case I think you were ok. That's their territory and they were just protecting it, albeit violently. But, if you ever get bit in the daytime, that is dangerous. If that ever happens, you must tell your mother or I right away. Got it?"_

_"Yeah, I got it."_

Luffy shoved his brother out of the way. The wolf pinned his arms to the ground, snarling and dribbling drool onto his face. His head throbbed, having hit a rock, but he pushed the pain away. He heard the others screaming. He was angry.

This wolf wouldn't hurt them. He wouldn't let it.

He kicked the wolf, causing it to yelp as it flew away a few feet. Both Luffy and the wolf quickly got to their feet. Luffy realized he was bleeding in his shoulders, and the wolf's snarling was worse than before. It looked away again, slowly stumbling to Ace, and Luffy's anger increased. He took both of his sandals off and whipped one at the wolf. The wolf turned to glare as it hit his head and he threw the second, egging him on, ignoring his friends cries to stop.

It hit the wolf's snout.

It lunged at Luffy and he quickly ran out of the way, looking for something heavy he could pick up as he ran around the clearing. He saw a thick, heavy looking branch further up ahead and ran faster. The wolf behind him was stumbling and running faster.

Luffy reached the branch and turned around. He swung the branch like a bat, glaring at the wolf as it fell to the ground. It began to get to its feet and he looked for something else – something heavier.

He picked up a huge stone right next to him and brought it down on the wolf's head. He was breathing hard and inwardly he was panicking.

_"But remember this, Luffy."_

_"What?"_

_"Wolves like to travel with their families or in packs. Otherwise they roam alone."_

This wolf probably had a friend.

"Luffy!" He saw Boa holding his brothers arms through his blurry vision. His head was throbbing now. He was pretty sure he heard someone talking hurriedly on a phone. "Behind you!" He thought it was Nami, actually he was sure it was, and turned too late. Head first, he was shoved to the ground. His head hurt ten times more at the jolt. He couldn't move his head either, with one of the wolf's paws on it.

He screamed when the wolf bit deep into his wrist and pulled on his whole arm.

He was sure it popped out of its socket.

He was reaching for that stick, it was right there.

Then the pressure was off of his back and the wolf was yelping. He looked up and saw blond and green and further away he saw dark brown holding something up.

Usopp and his slingshot. Sanji was slowly moving him, talking to him, and he saw Zoro knock out the second wolf.

"…Sanji…Zoro…"

"We're here Luffy. Don't you dare pass out on us."

"Shishishishi…I won't…"

* * *

They watched in horror as his brother threw his shoes at the dog.

"Luffy, you idiot! Stop it!" Sabo yelled. He tried to get out of Boa's grip, but she held onto him with strong, unwanted hands. She had just grabbed Ace too. She wasn't letting either of them go because she knew Luffy wouldn't like that.

But then, further in the clearing they were next to, they saw him knock the wolf out with a branch and a rock. Sabo sighed in relief.

Then Nami screamed.

"Behind you!"

Everyone watched in horror as a second wolf pounced on him. They couldn't see him through the tall grass, but that didn't stop the loud, pain filled scream from reaching their ears.

Ace and Sabo wanted to kill that wolf and cry all at once.

But then Usopp was there, hitting the wolf's eye with a rock in his slingshot. Sanji kicked the wolf out of the way and Zoro knocked it out with his sheathed swords he always carried around.

Sanji carried Luffy over on his back while Zoro walked behind, swords still at his hip, both whispering to each other worriedly.

"Luffy!" Ace and Sabo were finally let go and ran up to Sanji and Luffy, looking up at their older brother. He opened his eyes before laughing tiredly and patting both on the head.

"I'll be fine…Sanji, food…" He grumbled. Sanji scoffed but, nonetheless, pulled out candy and gave some for Luffy. Luffy mumbled thanks and ate it as the older girls walked over and they all began fussing. Within seconds, they were ushering the youngest six back while the eldest two walked behind, talking with Luffy, Sanji and Zoro.

* * *

Luffy was indeed fine. After washing the wound, going to the doctor and getting some shots he needed and getting yelled at for being reckless, he went to bed early. Animal control also came and surveyed the area, since this was apparently the fifteenth attack in two years. They said that they had surveyed and taken any and all rabid animals, but then more appeared out of nowhere and them multiplied like rabbits in an unnatural way. They hoped they got all of the animals this time.

Rouge and Roger were talking in the kitchen while Ace and Sabo were sneaking around. They tiptoed out of their bedroom and quietly down the hall, cracking the door to Luffy's room open. When they heard no protest, they rushed in and closed the door quietly behind them.

Luffy was curled up on his bed, covered in bandages from what happened. He was also shivering and they heard a small, almost unnoticeable sound of discomfort.

Like they did two years ago, the two crawled into bed. Ace hugged him from the back and Sabo from the front. They saw him open his eyes slightly and heard him mumble.

"Sabo…Ace…what are you…"

He saw Sabo's wet eyes and slowly, tiredly wrapped an arm around his younger brother before looking behind him at Ace. He was in a similar condition. He took his other arm and wrapped it around him. He gave both a tired kiss on the tops of their heads before he fell asleep again. Ace and Sabo just hugged him close, laying awake for a long time before their worries ceased and they could finally sleep.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the day-late update. I was having issues with how the plot was coming out and questioning other stuff about this story, but I decided I'll just fix it when we get there if I still feel the need to do so. Anyways, the wolves returned. If you look back at that chapter, I think it was 13, then it's more obvious since Doffy placed more wolves in there after killing that guy, but you only ever saw two. And he just decided to keep piling the wolves on until they hurt Luffy again. **

**spoons-are-evil: I always imagined if Luffy would listen to rules then he would be very good at sports. And yeah, the kid in front of the car was Bellamy. It could be the drugs making him taller or Luffy may just have not seen him in a while since I imagine that scene to be near the end of summer when soccer season starts and they don't see each other during summer. And Doflamingo just hates everyone, especially Bellamy and Luffy. And as for Lucci, I feel like if he wasn't made into a government dog, he would've been an awesome ally.**

**shadowmarialove: Doflamingo pisses me off too. I'm happy that you're coming to like Bellamy in the story - I want him to be liked. You'll see why soon. And I couldn't think of anyone who would be really good for a karate scene except Lucci, and I like Lucci too, so why not Lucci?**

**Alrighty. Thank you for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Warnings: fluff, angst, possible OOC characters, minor violence/self-harm**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, I do not own ****_The Possession_****, but I own my words.**

* * *

**Their Hideout** (Luffy 13, Ace and Sabo 10)

They were left home alone for a few hours and were bored out of their minds. It was now seven o'clock at night and they were all restless and tired at once. They needed something to do.

"What about a movie?"

Ace and Sabo looked at each other in thought before looking at the elder.

"What movie?"

They had chosen a scary movie. It was really stupid of them to do so. None of them were cowards but home alone for hours in a big, dark house and watching a scary movie was not one of their best ideas.

And they just had to watch _The Possession_ too, didn't they.

And there was a storm too.

Sabo was hiding under the blanket they had, Ace was squeezing his eyes shut and muttering to himself and Luffy looked at the screen pale faced.

That was terrifying.

Slowly, Luffy looked around on the ground. He needed the light on now, but the switch was on the other side of the room.

Yelling, he jumped off of the couch and ran to the light switch, but just as he got to it and turned it on, the power was cut off.

The three brothers stared at each other in silence.

Then Luffy grinned.

"ADVENTURE!"

* * *

"Luffy, is this a good idea?"

"We can't reach them if we don't do it."

"This is stupid."

"You're stupid."

"What did you call me, idiot?"

"You heard me, baka!"

"Enough! Luffy just…do whatever it is you were gonna do."

Luffy grinned at Sabo while Ace just turned away. The power was out and they needed light. Unfortunately, they were all in the basement on a shelf none of them could reach.

Luffy's idea involved a rolling chair.

"You're gonna fall," Ace looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow, questioning his common sense as he began to scale the shelves.

"I'll be fine, Ace, stop worrying."

"I'm not worrying!"

Sabo sighed.

"How are we even gonna have an adventure, Luffy? Mom and dad said to stay inside until we got home."

Luffy grinned at them as he tossed down the flashlights and jumped down before running back upstairs. Curious, the boys followed him until they had entered Luffy's room, where he stood before his closet.

"What? We're gonna explore your closet?"

Luffy laughed.

"It's not a closet."

Sabo and Ace blinked as Luffy opened the closet and got onto all fours, pushing aside boxes and the like to reach the back. Ace and Sabo slowly approached, watching with wonder when a small door they could fit through appeared. Luffy grinned and opened the door before crawling into the room. His brothers followed and gaped at the room they were in. They knew it was above the garage, but they had always thought that it was empty space.

The room wasn't finished. The floors were wood but were obviously old yet still sturdy. The wall frames stood out uncovered by plaster or paint. There were old boxes, toys and books spread throughout the room.

"I found it a few weeks ago when I was looking for something in my closet. Wanna make it our secret hide out?" Luffy grinned down at the two who cheered.

Then began the process of moving things.

The boys grabbed books, blankets, spare pillows, toys, video games, and anything else they could get their hands on to make it seem more like home. They even hung some sheets from the walls to make it warmer.

Then they rummaged through the boxes. They found old money, old toys and books written in old English, handmade pirates ships, several ships-in-a-bottle, and a music box. They also found some old photo albums.

"That's such a huge dress!"

"How does she even walk in it?"

"I dunno, but that dress is bigger than her."

"Yeah, it – oh! Look at that hat!"

"Wooohhhh! How does that stay on her head?!"

"People from the old times are weird."

Eventually, when they grew tired, they crawled out and all collapsed on Luffy's bed, exhausted and excited over their new discovery.

* * *

**Learning of the Past: The Missing Link** (Luffy 13, Ace and Sabo 10)

Luffy had always known he was a little different from his family – he didn't have the same laugh as them; his eyes were blue, too light to be inherited by his father who had black eyes and were not red like his mother's; he was somewhat short when they were all tall and he had almost no muscle definition despite his growing strength.

He learned why, one day, on an early morning.

For some reason he woke up rather early and was, unsurprisingly, very hungry. With tired, slow and strangely quiet steps he walked down the hallway. He walked down the stairs and was surprised to hear his parents in the kitchen. Before he entered, he stopped before the doorway, trying to judge if he should enter.

They only wake up early to talk about important stuff and he knows that for a fact. They would never be up this early otherwise on a Saturday.

"I don't want to keep this from him anymore, Roger."

"I don't either but, what if it's too early? I don't want this to hurt him."

"It's hurting him by not telling him."

Roger sighed. "This would be so much easier if we actually knew what happened to them."

It was silent. Luffy decided to walk back upstairs quietly. He would get in trouble for eavesdropping. He really wanted to just barge in like always but there was something about the situation that told him not to.

"I wish we knew what happened to Luffy's birthparents."

Luffy stopped mid-tiptoe, frozen at what his mother had just said. His real birthparents?

"No one knows though. He was literally left out in the street."

"I don't understand why a parent would do that."

Luffy wanted answers now.

He turned on his heel and appeared in the doorway, staring at both of his parents with blank eyes. They looked up at him in shock.

"What do you mean my real birthparents?"

* * *

Luffy was sitting in the treetops, thinking despite the headache it was giving him. It was around nine in the morning and he was deep into the woods, barely able to see his house in the distance.

His parents had told him everything: How they found him in the middle of the street to be run over, barely hours old with no name, no one nearby to claim him and on the verge of death. They had searched, done DNA tests, done whatever they could to find the parents, but it came up empty. The young, recently married couple took him in – they were already planning to, but how Luffy was left out on a cold, rainy night did not sit well with anyone and they wanted to know why it had happened.

It was all a big mystery.

He munched on some beef jerky from the bag he held in his hands as he stared out at the sky. He didn't know what to feel – he still loved his family. His parents saved his life and his brothers kept him moving on, gave him something to protect. He protected his friends and they protected him. He was not alone.

Yet now he felt alone. He lost something he never knew he had.

He probably wouldn't be able to call his birth parents mom or dad if he ever met them, but he didn't even know if he ever would. He questioned why for all of two minutes before sighing.

What was the point in questioning something he would never get answered? It wasn't like he could punch someone and get the answer. It wasn't a bully he was beating up. It was the case of missing people.

It would remain a mystery.

In a way, he was happy to keep it that way.

He still had his mom, his dad, his little brothers and his friends. He had everything that he needed. He didn't want it to disappear.

He also had an answer to his previous questions.

He knew what his parents had hidden from him. His parents were still proud of him regardless of his blood relations, that he knew. Still, he saw them all uncomfortable while telling him all of this; they seemed upset with themselves.

They couldn't tell him because they failed to find what had happened; that was how Luffy saw it. They couldn't tell him because they didn't really know who he was; they were full of unnecessary guilt - that was why he spent all that time questioning the small differences. But he didn't care, and never really had, because he loved them and they loved him and it was all he could ever ask for.

Still, knowing was strange. He would always be a part of the family, yet at the same time, he was a complete stranger to them, in a sense.

He bit into his beef jerky again to halt his disquieting thoughts. For some reason, learning of his past bothered him in one of those ways that he knew would eventually result in bad things. He just hoped he was wrong.

* * *

One hour later, still in the tree, Zoro climbed to the top and sat next to him. No words were said between the two.

They knew when something was wrong with the other.

They didn't need words.

Luffy leaned on his shoulder and offered him some jerky – something rare for him to do but this was Zoro, his best friend, and he didn't mind giving him some jerky, especially when he came out here when he didn't have to. Zoro pulled out a strip and stared back up at the sky, watching some gulls fly overhead, going towards the ocean neither of them had ever seen but vied for.

"Nah, Zoro?"

"Hn?"

"…Do you think…" Zoro stared at Luffy "…Do you think bonds are thicker than blood?"

Zoro stared at the other for a few moments, contemplating. Whatever was bothering his best friends was in no way small, that he knew. Something was bothering him, but Zoro didn't know how to fix it. He could only try. He looked back up at the sky as he answered. He gave him all he could.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't."

* * *

_"Neh, Jii-chan," Luffy looked up at his grandfather. It was a dream, he knew. Sometimes he had dreams like these, where he would see people and talk to them, but this was the first one it was someone he knew._

_"What is it?" Garp asked as he sat behind his grandson. _

_"Are bonds thicker than blood?"_

_Existence._

_Garp knew the boy found out about the fact he wasn't really related to his mother, father and brothers - at least in the ways he thought. However, Garp couldn't come to tell the boy about his father's past or that he was related to his family - it would just cause the boy more pain if he knew the truth. How could he tell a boy that his mother died in childbirth and his father died saving him? The boy was strong, but he didn't know how he would react to those words - he was, after all, a young boy. Even with his wisdom, he might regret or feel guilt. Garp knew that even though he didn't look like it, Luffy was scared. To find out what you've lived was a lie must be painful. Could he reveal another lie to the boy that he knew for a long time in his dead state?_

_It didn't seem fair, and he would learn eventually. His letter explained all._

_Still, Garp didn't know how to answer his grandson. He didn't know how to answer the question he really knew that the boy wanted to ask._

_Was it good I was born?_

_Was it good I survived that night?_

_Why was I born and tossed away?_

_He was, after all, left to die on that stormy May night for reasons not even Garp knew. The boy could've been left at the nearby orphanage, but he was instead left in the middle of the street. There was no sign of care for him except for a ratty old blanket that had barely covered him. Garp knew that Dragon had probably wanted to keep the boy, but the way that he was left for dead was still disconcerting to Garp. It was strange for Dragon to have done that under any circumstances. _

_Still, Garp had to answer the boy to the best of his abilities while still lying. If only he had lived longer to say more...but he couldn't. He had no right to interfere in the living world anymore. "That's…" Garp looked at the sky of the dream. He knew he had been dead for a while and this was probably one of his last reactions with his grandson for a very long time, until the younger passed on, which would hopefully be far in the future. "That's something you'll figure out as you live."_

_Luffy made no expression but on the inside he felt slightly relieved._

_Even if his own birth parents didn't want him to live, someone else did._

_Garp was relieved and conflicted all at once and could only hope what he said was what was best for the boy._

* * *

"So that's why Bellamy is such a forgetful child," Doflamingo said, staring at the words printed in black in on the piece of paper in his hands.

"Yes, sir. We believe that the constant drug use and experiments caused him to block everything out and a "new" Bellamy was formed," Vergo said emotionlessly, his fingers flipping through the pages of the packet he held. "It's why he's very excited for missions at one moment but entirely depressed the next. It's the reason that certain smells, sights, tastes, and sounds can make him go haywire or slump over in his seat."

Doflamingo snorted. "I don't care. As long as he can still do work, he's not useless to me." He tossed the papers carelessly onto the desk and walked out, motioning for Vergo to follow. The two immediately began talking of an important meeting.

Neither seemed to care all too much that the boy named Bellamy had MPD.

Multiple Personality Disorder.

* * *

Bellamy was in his bathroom. It was clean and pristine – the toilet was porcelain, the tiled floors were an immaculate shade of white, the walls were a perfect off-white; everything was in place – the soap, the shampoo, the fluffy towels, the bathmat.

The boy took no notice of it all. He was staring at the mirror before him, taking up a large portion of the wall above the sink. His eyes were bloodshot and he was looking at himself as though he were a crazy man. On the ground next to him was a pack of candy that he had been given by a worker. The taste made his brain go wild and he just wanted to shut himself away and never leave the house again out of fear of hurting anyone else.

_Don't be such a chicken now._

He clenched his eyes shut.

_Coward._

"I'm not a coward."

_Yes you are. Otherwise, you wouldn't be hiding. You wouldn't feel sick with yourself for hurting that stupid boy named Luffy._

"He's not stupid!"

_He has such a good life - he has everything you don't have._

"It doesn't mean I can torture him!"

_But it feels so good. Look._

Bellamy opened his eyes and gaped. His pupils were the size of pinpricks as he stared in horror. The once white walls were painted red, splattered with blood.

_Don't you remember how good it felt to hurt them? To kill?_

"No!"

_SELFISH COWARD!_

"I'm not selfish and I'm not a coward!"

He brought his fist to the mirror. His reflection, which had once been yelling at him, laughing, mocking him, screaming at him, was shattered. The blood on the walls seemed to disappear as his knuckles began to bleed. His bloodshot eyes were wide in fear as he brought his hand down, the blood trickling over his tan skin forming into words.

_You can't escape yourself._

Bellamy choked on a sob. The voice wouldn't stop. It _wasn't stopping._ He saw a pair of scissors on the sink counter used for cutting bandages, but they were still sharp.

"Make it go away," He whispered with a strangled voice as he clutched them tight and brought the scissors near his arms.

* * *

**MPD/DID, Multiple Personality Disorder/Dissociative Identity Disorder: "a dissociative disorder that is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct and complex identities or personality states each of which becomes dominant and controls behavior from time to time to the exclusion of the others" - Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Can be triggered by certain smells, sights, tastes, sounds, or words. Interferes with memory. Can be caused by abuse of any kind.**

**I personally know no one with MPD, but my mom has read about this sort of stuff and explained it to me. People may or may not know of the second or more identities, but most often don't, from what I have learned. If I have in any way portrayed this illness wrong, please tell me and I WILL FIX IT.**

**Doflamingo is very, very twisted and feel awful for putting Bellamy through this, but it helps advance the story. I'M SO SORRY BELLAMY! But know you guys all know why he can't remember half of what he does. The real Bellamy isn't "awake" most of the time. And it scared him way too much too...I FEEL SO MEAN! GAHHHH!**

**Moving on from that, ****_The Possession_**** is scary but good and if you like horror and the paranormal, I suggest you watch it. And if you like horror/twisted stories and that stuff, I suggest the anime ****_Shinsekai Yori_**** or in English ****_From the New World_****, which is fantastic and terrifying and addicting.**

**spoons-are-evil: I'm happy I got the characterization right and I really enjoyed writing that beginning scene. Thank you :) And I can't write Marco without one joke about his hair. It's just not possible. Luffy logic and ASL always wins! And Doflamingo just likes to ruin everything. He can't not do that. He's just plain creepy in this story. I needed Strawhat action, and this seemed like a good place. I've realized I have a lot of bed scenes with the brothers...and more are to come! I'm so happy you liked the chapter - I wasn't sure about it myself - so thank you very much! :)**

**yuuki878: I'm very happy you enjoyed the antics of the girls and the boys heroines. :) here's the next one! **

**FlightWulf: Thank you. And it can be hard at points. I have it mostly written out, but then my brains like "no, let's add another five scenes" or life is like "you want to write? Too bad" but I manage. And I have plenty of things planned for Luffy in the future, which will come up quite soon.**

**shadowmarialove: I think this chapter answers why I want him liked. I'm happy you liked last chapter :) and wolves just hate poor Luffy :(**

**Thank you guys for reading! I love all of you guys! And to my reviewers and the people who followed/faved last chapter especially cause I was really nervous about that chapter but you guys made me un-nervous about it so thank you! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Warnings: Violence, blood, fluff, very unexplicit, minor non-con (just kissing)**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, not me!**

* * *

**The Chainsaw Murderer** (Luffy almost 14, Ace and Sabo 11)

"Now, Mister 'Chainsaw Murderer', I have new target for you. I want you to try and eradicate this boy, by whatever means possible," Doflamingo threw a manila folder of information onto the table in front of him. The picture on the top was a stolen year book photo from the year before. "This boy's father was very close to revealing everything about our little drug secret we have. He's a threat to you, the company, and me. I want him killed."

The man in the mask picked up the folder and looked at the photo, a feral grin overcoming his features.

"Of course, Master."

* * *

Luffy very rarely watched the news. He would only learn of presidential candidates through other people, he never cared what the weather was, and he learned of disasters through gossip.

He only knew of one thing that was big news at the time that he actually watched the news for: The Chainsaw Murderer.

It sounded very cliché, but he was very concerned for one reason: this serial killer targeted kids between 10 and 13 and recently killed someone a few towns over. His brother's were his main concern; he didn't want either to get killed. Their parents never let any of the three boys go out alone anymore - no parent let any child go out alone anymore with the killer so near.

One day, a mistake was made.

Luffy was meeting up with Shanks, Ben, Lucky and Yasopp today. They hadn't met up in a long time and they had all wanted to catch up, especially before the older boys had to go to college. They had all been together and they had stuck close, knowing of the possible danger that could befall any of them, especially Luffy.

Somehow, though, they had gotten lost, separated. There had been an explosion in the mall they were at, which was always a sign that the murderer was nearby. He always blew something up before he would make his kill. In the following commotion, crowds went running, and unfortunately, Luffy had gotten separated from them all.

He was standing at the edge of an alley way and a street, texting with Shanks and the others as to where he was, shaking slightly. He had confidence that he could protect himself, but at the same time, he was scared.

Footfalls echoed in the alley behind him. He froze, listening to the uneven fall of heavy feet. Metal was being dragged across the ground, making a sickening scratching sound on the concrete. There was heavy breathing that would occasionally be intercepted by a deranged giggle.

Luffy turned his head only, staring behind him, and his eyes widened. That was most definitely the Chainsaw Murderer. The man smirked at him and Luffy felt himself shiver. No one was around, as all the streets in the area were abandoned. People were home, far from the small stores that the employees had abandoned by order of their bosses. All firemen and policemen were currently down by the explosion, likely looking there for the culprit.

But the culprit was standing right behind Luffy, turning on his chainsaw.

Luffy turned to face him completely and grabbed a pipe from the side of the alley, backing up so he stood in the street. The man quickly approached and brought the chainsaw down at Luffy. He brought up his pipe and smacked at it, hitting the dull base and smacking the weapon away. The man sneered, and his movements became faster. Luffy began to sweat nervously as he continued to veer off the attacks but then, suddenly and to his dismay and horror, the pipe was snapped in half by the whirring of the sharp blades.

Luffy stepped back, panting, while the man grinned manically at him.

"Help," Luffy called, doing the only thing he had been told to do in these situations as a child that he could do. "Help me!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He picked up random abandoned objects from the ground and tossed them at the man, hoping to make him stop approaching, but it just made him move faster.

Luffy tripped over the curb and fell back. He looked up, horrified, as the man raised the chainsaw above his head.

Was his life really going to end here?

He closed his eyes in fear as the machine buzzed loudly, getting closer.

Then he felt something wet, but he wasn't injured.

His eyes snapped open as he looked up and there was Shanks, standing above him and…there was his arm, on the ground nearby. Luffy's eyes widened and he didn't realize that Ben had hit the man over the head from behind or that Yasopp had stolen a gun - likely from the police - and shot his foot to make sure he couldn't run. He could only stare at Shanks, at his left side, where his arm was supposed to be.

He got to his feet shakily, and stepped forward as Shanks turned, going pale as Roo called the cops.

"Shanks…your arm..." Luffy whispered, tears coming to his eyes. Shanks grinned at him.

"C'mon, Luffy, you don't have to cry. It's just an arm," The red haired teen said confidently despite the fact that his legs were giving out. Luffy caught him before he could fall, burying his face into Shanks's chest to hide the tears. Shanks told him that everything would be ok as Ben used his shirt to put it against Shanks's arm to stop the flow of blood. Luffy put his hands over the wound as well as Shanks began to slump against him, and Luffy felt unbearable amounts of guilt in that moment.

* * *

Hours later, the police returned Luffy to his house. Shanks would be okay, and they had talked. His words had greatly eased Luffy's guilt, but it would never disappear. They were going to hang out one more time before they had to leave for college.

When he walked into his house, the policeman behind him and talking with his mother, he immediately went and curled up on the couch. He kept thinking of how unbearably _weak_ he had felt in those moments before what he thought was the end and when Shanks lost his arm. He gulped, pushing back the tears, and hugged his knees to his chest. He took karate so that this wouldn't happen again – it was like Garp's death all over again.

He was pulled into a hug and he felt his mother crying into the top of his head. He brought his arms around her and held her tight, his hands clutching the fabric of her shirt.

"I'm so glad that you're ok," She whispered, and he only nodded against her shoulder, his own tears falling from his eyes. He gave a shaky smile over her shoulder to Ace and Sabo, who stood in the doorway with confused eyes.

* * *

Hours later, Luffy was staring at the ceiling of his room. His heart ached and he couldn't sleep from the absolute fear that still pulsed through his veins. He flinched slightly when the door creaked open, but he knew by the two pairs of soft footsteps that it was just his brothers.

He sat up in bed as they sat down on top of the comforter. All of them were silent, but there was a thick air around each of them - all wanted to say something.

"I'm really glad you're alive," Sabo mumbled, his fists clenching in his pajama pants. Luffy gave him a soft smile and a pat on the head. "But, I don't get why you keep getting into these bad situations. You'd think they would stop..." The boy sighed as his twin nodded his agreement. Ace didn't really know what to say since he was rather bad when it came to feelings.

"I don't get it either. But, I'm here, and that's all that matters now. But, I want you guys to try and not get into much trouble or draw attention to yourselves, alright?" Luffy looked at them, eyes oddly serious.

"Why should we do that?" Ace asked, huffing and crossing his arms. But then, Luffy stared at him with those eyes - the eyes he always used when he was trying to do something even he didn't understand but knew it was best for the boys, the serious eyes of his big brother - and he flushed, mumbled and apology, and turned his head away. Luffy smiled at him and pat him on the head as well.

"Na, do you guys wanna go sleep in there for the night?" Luffy asked with a grin. Both nodded their agreement before scrambling to the closet and inside their secret hideout. Luffy had sense to close his own bedroom door and leave the closet's secret entrance open in case his parents freaked out (well, that was more of a Rouge thing to do) and crawled in behind his brothers. They stayed in there, talking for hours, until one by one, they fell asleep.

* * *

**The Son of the Devil** (Luffy 14, Ace and Sabo 11)

Bellamy looked down at one of the hands while the other repeatedly ran over his lips, searching for an answer. He had the feeling that he had done something worse than all of those other times he had these gut feelings. But he knew, for some explicable reason, if he didn't learn how to stop his black outs, things would get terribly worse.

* * *

"Luffy, you can't continue to get grades like this. You have to study more."

"I did study though, I just don't get it."

"Did you go to the teacher for help?"

"Not yet, but I will next time."

He hated lying. She didn't seem to buy it but played along.

"That's what you said last time."

"I'll do it, I promise."

"…Don't let me down, Luffy. You need to get your grades up."

"Yeah! I won't let you down, I promise!"

Luffy ran upstairs to his room, leaving his mom in the kitchen. When he entered, he closed the door behind him and looked down at the test in his hands, frowning.

He did go to the teacher for help. He actually went to a lot of people for help.

After all of the trouble he had caused his parents in the past few years, he wanted to try and be a good son for them, not just by watching over his brothers. Not that he already wasn't trying hard, but now he just wanted to try harder. He had gone to Nami, Robin, Usopp, his teacher and even some other upperclassmen he barely knew for help. They all helped, but he didn't get it.

Bellamy was on his mind too.

He shivered at the thought of him. He thought he got rid of him a little while ago, but apparently it was not the case. Luffy could easily beat him in a fistfight, he knew that, but Bellamy played cheap as always.

_"Just one slip of a finger is all it'll take, and then you're dead," Bellamy whispered into his ear. Luffy was frozen against a wall, a gun pointing at his head. He didn't know how Bellamy got the gun, all he knew was one wrong move and he was dead._

_"What the hell do you want, Bellamy?" Luffy glared, fists shaking from holding back on punching the man straight out. _

_Then something happened that Luffy was not expecting._

_His head was smashed against the wall behind him and he opened his mouth in a yelp of pain and then there was a tongue in his mouth. He tried to fight back, but with the pain in his head and the lack of oxygen he felt dizzy and blinded. When the tongue left him, he collapsed to his knees, glaring as Bellamy walked away with a cocky smirk, gun still in hand until he moved to reenter the real world._

Luffy rubbed his forearm against his mouth, still feeling like gagging at the memory. If only he was rubber and immune to bullets something like that wouldn't have happened.

* * *

"Someone kissed you?" Nami blinked at her friend in shock. Luffy had never shown any interest towards anyone, male or female, and to hear this was just strange. Zoro was watching everything with one eye open, Sanji was staring in shock and Usopp was gaping. Robin continued to eat her food even though she stared at Luffy curiously.

They all felt something was wrong when he rubbed his arm across his lips with a glare.

"Didn't want them to," Luffy mumbled before grabbing his sandwich and devouring it. Everyone's eyes narrowed – Luffy never lied, but at the same time he wasn't one to let that happen if he didn't want it.

Unless he or someone close to him was threatened, or he was unable to do anything.

"Luffy, who-"

"Sanji, can I have some meat?"

Then, they all knew they would get nothing else out of his friend until he wanted to tell them.

* * *

**AN: So, this chapter may give inklings as to what may possibly happen in the future. Sorry this chapter is so fluff-lacking, but the drama will be increasing a lot from this point out. Mostly because of Bellamy's second and twisted personality. And I'm so sorry for the late update :(. I was lazy and life kinda got in the way. I hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**spoons-are-evil: I've always wanted a little hideout in my closet, so I kinda gave the boys one. I feel like that would've been the worst way to learn you were adopted, but if he didn't find out that way, I don't think he would've learned about it for a few more years and he kind of had to know. And he still loves them bunches, so he'll be all good. And I had to put in that Zoro and Luffy scene - I feel like Zoro was the best choice. I could've put in the brothers, but they don't know yet. Besides, I needed awesome Zoro. And Doflamingo is a horrible bastard. Sadly there are people like him out there. At least this one is just a character, though. But yeah, Bellamy's been through a lot. I feel bad for doing it to him. :(**

**shadowmarialove: I totally realized I just threw you through a loop. Sorry about that, but at least this is somewhat of a pleasant surprise...right? I don't know if I can really call it pleasant or not...**

**Once again, sorry for the late update. Thank you very much for reading this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Oh, also, I have a question. Do you guys think I should up the rating? I might have to later because of the direction this story is going - it won't be anything horribly explicit, but because of the publishing rules I might have to...would you guys still read it if I did that or would you rather I just took out those small areas and make it stay T? I could even let it stay T and put a rating at the top of those chapters...but does it work like that? Argh, confusion. Please tell me what you think about this.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Warnings: fluff, minor violence, antics**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, Eiichiro Oda does, but I own my words and the plot!**

* * *

**Victory?** (Luffy 14, Ace and Sabo 11)

"I'll beat you this time!"

"Hahaha, you're gonna lose again!"

Luffy grinned back at his brothers as they were racing on their bikes. They were racing to get to a lake on the other side of town. People normally didn't visit it because it was down a forest path, but that just made it better for them. It was another place they could hang out with friends and no one would bother them.

Luffy laughed loudly as he was the first one down the hill and near the lake. He got off his bike and waited for his brothers as they came down, Ace with a scowl on his face and Sabo with a frown.

"It's not fair Luffy. Why do you always win?" Sabo looked up at his brother as he got off of his bike.

"All I'm good at is sports," Luffy replied while tipping his straw hat back on his head.

"'Cause you're stupid?" Ace grinned at his brother with mischievous eyes. Luffy laughed before smacking him over the head.

"You're stupid too, Ace."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Sabo sighed as his brothers began yelling at each other. When he saw their friends at the lake, he stopped them and they all ran over.

"Ace! Sabo! Luffy! Yo!" Thatch yelled as he waved his hands at them. Ace smirked and ran up to Thatch, Marco, Kidd and Law while Sabo followed behind at a slower pace.

"Usopp!" Luffy jumped on his friend behind, making him fall face first into the sand. The others laughed at them as Luffy stood and helped Usopp up before turning to his friends as his brothers and their friends ran around. "It's summer now! We gotta plan big adventures!"

"What do you mean adventures? We can't afford to go anywhere!" Nami smacked him over the head, but he merely whined before grinning again.

"We don't need money to do anything!"

"Then what're we gonna do?"

Luffy grinned and looked at the surrounding forest. Zoro and Sanji smirked, Robin smiled and Usopp and Nami both paled.

"No way Luffy!"

"I don't want to sleep in a tent for a few night!"

"C'mon, what's the harm in it?" Luffy asked while looking at the two. "It's just sleeping outside."

"The wolves!" Nami yelled at him. He tilted his head with a confused look.

"This isn't the same forest, Nami."

"I know that! But there could still be wolves!"

"Then why are you worried about the wolves? They don't live here."

"I have a fear of forests at night disease!" Usopp whined. Luffy just laughed at him as Nami continued to yell at him but it was futile. His mind was made up and whether or not they liked it, they knew eventually this summer they would be in the woods.

"And not just that! We could go to those haunted houses in town and find that deer that from the legend that people says talks to you! Oh! Then there's the skeleton man in the graveyard – I wanna find him too! And then the robot man who says 'SUPER' all the time and is at that old factory. We gotta do it!"

"NO! I have a fear of scary things disease!" Usopp hid behind Nami as she began yelling at Luffy again.

"Are you stupid Luffy? That stuff's just gonna get us killed!"

"It hasn't killed anyone else!"

"Who's to say it won't kill us?"

"No one else died!"

"So?"

"If wimpy people can go in there and live we can go in and live."

"Ah!" Nami groaned. She lost to Luffy-logic so often that it was just sad. She saw Zoro smirking at her and she glared at him. She smirked when Sanji kicked him.

"What are you doing you jerk?"

They looked over when Thatch yelled and Luffy felt his anger spike. There was Bellamy, kicking down the kids.

Luffy stormed over, his friends following behind him, and grabbed Bellamy's fist right before it could connect with Marco's face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, picking on kids?" Luffy asked with a carefully blank face. If you truly looked, you could see his eyes filled with a furious fire. Bellamy just laughed at Luffy.

"What does it look like I'm doing? You really are stupid."

"And you really are weak, beating up kids three years younger than you," Luffy then lowered his voice to a whisper only Bellamy could hear. "Waving a gun around and beating up kids is not strong, you coward."

A fist connected with Luffy's cheek and he stumbled before regaining balance and throwing a punch right back. Bellamy took the hit and grunted and fell. He quickly got up and aimed a punch again but Luffy kneed him right in the gut then kicked him in the face with his other leg. Bellamy fell to the ground with a thud, glaring up at Luffy. His friend, Sarkies, who had watched the whole thing happen, grabbed him and dragged him away. Luffy only glared after him as he listened to Bellamy's calls of "You'll pay for this!"

Luffy turned back to his friends and grinned at them. They all congratulated him and after checked on the younger six.

Luffy, however, knew this wasn't the end. Yes, Bellamy was very weak, but he played dirty. He used a gun and would beat people weaker than him and it didn't help that he had free access to guns, which Luffy had learned through his secret fights with the boy. He wouldn't worry his friends though. It was his fight and he knew that he could beat Bellamy. He would be fine.

* * *

"I'm disappointed Bellamy. Being beaten by scum like that brat."

"I'm very sorry, sir. I'll hold victory next time," The young teen rasped. He lay on the ground in a horrible state, bleeding and bruised and used. But, this side of Bellamy didn't necessarily mind the pain. He knew it would hurt later, though, but as long as it wasn't _him_, he didn't care if the other Bellamy dealt with it or not.

"I'll give you more weapons and men to play with. Don't disappoint me again."

* * *

**Adventures** (Luffy 14, Ace and Sabo 11)

The Strawhats did end up going into the woods. Luffy and the guys slept in one tent while Nami and Robin slept in another. They had been there for three days so far and had yet to find the reindeer in the strangely cold woods.

"Luffy, I doubt that this reindeer you want to see is real. It sounds cool, but it's just a myth," Nami said, rubbing her hands together as they walked through the cold forest.

"No! I know it's a true story, Nami! We will find the blue nosed reindeer!" Luffy ran ahead, cheering, as Nami and the others yelled at him to slow down.

He ran quickly and eventually found that he was lost. He scratched at his head unworriedly yet confused as he hummed. "Nami's gonna hit me again," He mumbled to himself as he stared through the fog.

He heard the clop sound of hooves and turned. There, staring at him wide eyed, was a reindeer with a blue nose and a hat. Luffy grinned and cheered while the reindeer screamed and ran. Luffy chased after it, telling it to be his friend, while the reindeer screamed in terror.

They passed by his friends who all stopped and stared.

"Did you guys see a reindeer with a hat? And did you hear it...screaming?" Usopp said hesitantly. When they all nodded, they ran to catch Luffy and the deer. When they caught up to the odd pair, they all sweat-dropped. Luffy was holding the reindeer around the neck in a hug while the reindeer looked confused but too scared to move.

"You're such a cool reindeer! Be my friend!" Luffy grinned as the reindeer squirmed.

"Just because you compliment me doesn't mean I'll be your friend, bastard!" The reindeer said. Everyone except Luffy and Robin gaped in shock.

"I'm Luffy, what's your name?" Luffy said, looking the blue-nosed reindeer in the eyes. It looked wary before replying.

"I'm Tony Tony Chopper."

"Yosh! Chopper, from now on, you're our friend!"

* * *

"You stupid pervert! You're going to defile Robin-chwan and Nami-swan's eyes!" Sanji was on fire, glaring and pointing at the strange man-robot-thing before them.

"Only a speedo?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why do we keep meeting weirdos?!" Usopp moaned in despair.

"Fufufufu, Luffy, you sure know how to find interesting people."

Luffy's eyes were sparkling as he stared up at the speedo-wearing robot, which stared down at him.

"My name is Franky, and I am SSSUUUUUPPPPEEEERRRR!" The robot said, putting his tattooed arms together to make a star and grinning widely.

"Awesome!"

It had been surprisingly easy to find the robot. Chopper even knew him and led him there. The robot had been making a small boat sculpture right outside of the factory, so they had to do no searching, and he was very funny.

"Be our friend!" Luffy cheered grinning up at the robot. The robot grinned and smiled at them.

"That sounds SUPER!"

Nami sighed, wondering and hoping that this skeleton did not exist.

* * *

"Why am I always proven wrong?" Nami grumbled to herself. She had just screeched over the fact that a skeleton had appeared before her and almost had a heart attack. She was pale and standing next to Robin, who was smiling sternly at the skeleton that had just asked to see their panties. Sanji was on fire again and yelling and screaming at the skeleton while kicking it, telling it to not ask such vulgar things of Nami-swan and Robin-chwan. Franky was grinning next to Chopper and Usopp, who were cowering together, shaking in fear. Zoro sighed and stared up at the skeleton skeptically.

Luffy was having a ball.

He was grinning at the skeleton, sparkling, and asking him all sorts of questions ("Can you poop? How are you alive? How do you eat?").

And finally, the question he loves to ask – or rather, the thing he demands.

"Brook! Be my friend!"

"Yohohoho, if you say so, Luffy."

So, over the course of one week, they had formed the strangest, most ragtag group of friends anyone would ever see.

* * *

**AN: I know it's late. I think updates will always be within 2 days. I share a computer cord with my sister cause mine broke and she doesn't like sharing it with me. Oh well. So, this chapter has some antics to lighten the mood. Yes, Doffy is there to screw things up, but it was a small scene. But there was something very important in this chapter which will affect the story later on - did you guys catch it?**

**youshouldn'tneedtoknow: I feel bad for being so mean to him :(**

**spoons-are-evil: I know it was cliche but it just fit so well. And Doffy does need to die, very much so. And no, in this story, he likes to read but that's adventure books, not school stuff. Poor Lu :(. He tries though! If they just made his math class about food... And the kiss thing, there were hints about that in this chapter. Did you see it? I'm happy you liked that rubber quote - I thought it just fit good and I wanted at least one reference to canon. And thank you for the advice. I think it's just gonna be a very strong T and I will probably leave a special warning note because I've read other T that are worse. You helped me greatly, thank you :)**

**Lily Noir: Thank you! I feel it was cliche, but it fit in well and all. Poor Luffy doesn't know what's going on. And yes, things do get worse, sadly. It's why this chapter is more humorous. **

**shadowmarialove: Sorry, I didn't realize what I had said in the comments. But it made for a good(?) surprise, no? And yeah, gross but necessary. You'll understand why soon, or even with this chapter. I couldn't think of a better name than Chainsaw Murderer because I'm lame like that. It made it more cliche, though, so I like it like that. And I cannot answer those last two due to spoilers - all I can say is in due time.**

**Thanks again for reading this! I love all of you guys! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Warnings: fluff, violence, implied non-con (*scene will be starred)**,** buckets of angst**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, Eiichiro Oda does, but I own my words!**

* * *

**The Devil's Treachery** (Luffy 15, Ace and Sabo 12)

"Right! Right!"

"AH! Sabo! You're cheating!"

"Am not!"

"Coming through!"

"Luffy!"

"Nononononono – AH! Luffy won again!"

Ace threw the remote at Luffy's head, laughing when he whined. Luffy grinned at his siblings, laughing his signature laugh at his win.

"We can't beat you at anything!"

"It's cause I'm the big brother."

Ace and Sabo grumbled as they began to choose settings for their next race in Mario Kart. They were in the small hideout in Luffy's room, where they had a small TV for their consoles.

"Luffy, can we play something else after this round?"

"Yeah, sure. Whaddaya wanna play?" Luffy asked as he took off in Yoshi's car. He loved that green turtle.

"What do we have?"

"Luffy!" Luffy paused the game when he heard his mom call his name. "Can you come down here for a minute?"

"Yeah, be right there!" He turned to his brothers as he stood and walked backwards to the door. "Be right back!" Luffy ran down the stairs and saw his mom holding the phone out to him as she cooked dinner.

"It's for you. I don't know who it is, though."

Luffy nodded and took the phone from his mom's hands, walking into the living room where no one else was. "Hello?"

"Yo, Luffy," The nonchalant voice spoke through the other side. Luffy froze upon hearing Bellamy's voice and his eyes hardened. He glanced back at his mother who was cooking and then moved out of the doorway and out of sight of her. Still, his eyes danced around, keeping constant watch so his family wouldn't see him acting like this because if he tried to lie about his strange behavior, they wouldn't believe him.

"What do you want, you bastard?" He hissed quietly, fists clenching when he heard the chuckling on the other side.

"So those twerps from back then really are your brothers – adoptive at least."

Luffy's blood froze in his veins. He snarled lowly, so his mother wouldn't hear, and wanted to strangle Bellamy right then and there. _No one_ threatens his family. And how did he even find out about that?

"Tomorrow, eight o'clock at the lake. You can't tell anyone about this."

The dial tone sounded abnormally loud in Luffy's ears. He pulled his straw hat over his eyes and put the phone back down on the receiver before walking upstairs. He crawled into the room behind his closet, smiled at his brothers, and kicked ass in the next game they played.

If they noticed his discomfort, they said nothing of it.

* * *

The amount of guys Luffy had to beat up was unbelievable. They just kept coming at him and he had to wonder just how exactly did Bellamy round up this many men. Luffy was beginning to pant from the exertion. _I have to keep fighting_ was all that ran through Luffy's head. His hands were bruised from punching, he had scratches and scrapes on his arms and legs, he was sweating heavily, and he kept tripping on the fallen, groaning bodies.

Pain suddenly exploded in his head. He felt something cold and metal for a split second before he fell to the ground, everything blurry and distorted. He got onto his hands and knees, shaking, but was then kicked to the ground further away onto his back. Before he could move, a foot crushed his chest, causing him to cough painfully. He glared up at the cheap fighter who always used tricks and never skill to win. He just smirked down at him with a strange glint in his eyes.

Luffy screamed in pain as a bang echoed through the air. He grit his teeth harshly and gripped the dirt on the ground. Blood poured from the wound in his left arm as he glared up at the other.

"I can do it again, you know," Bellamy grinned maliciously. "I can do this to your brothers too. Your parents. Your friends. I'll kill you and then hurt all of them, and you won't be able to do anything but watch them suffer from your seat that I bet is waiting for you in hell."

Luffy finally figured out that glint in his eyes was pure insanity. He couldn't take this threat lightly. He knew Bellamy would hurt his friends and family. He could very easily punch this guy out just as easily as Bellamy could raise the gun and shot him through the head.

Luffy hated giving in. He hadn't done so in a long time.

He closed his eyes tightly. This wasn't giving up.

This was waiting for the right moment. Even if he would hate every second of it.

"I'll do whatever you ask, but if you touch any of my friends or family, I will kill you." Bellamy smirked, pleased at his reply, before they all left the boy there to bleed.

* * *

Through the monitor on the car Bellamy had parked next to the site of beat down, Donquixote watched. He smirked insanely when Bellamy had finally gotten the boy to submit.

"Now it's only a matter of time. Dragon, you will regret ever having had a child and leaving him behind."

His laughter echoed through the mansion, scaring all who heard it, for they knew when he laughed that way, death would begin it's approach.

* * *

Bellamy stared at the man before him, not really understanding what he was saying.

"What are you talking about?" He asked in a quiet, shaky voice.

"You heard me. You're going to do it, no matter what."

"No."

Doflamingo glared at the young teen across from him, blatantly defying him.

"You've already done that to me. I know how much it hurts and I am _never_ going to do _that _to _anyone_."

Doflamingo glared as Bellamy took a few steps back, glowering with all of his might. Doflamingo stood and motioned for the guards to close and lock all doors. Bellamy looked back, shocked and momentarily terrified.

"Do whatever you want to him. Just make sure the other wakes up." Doflamingo turned and stared out the large window behind him as the torture began.

* * *

**Smiles** (Luffy 15, Ace and Sabo 12)

Luffy loved Christmas.

He woke up and pulled the gifts for his family out from under his bed before walking downstairs, where the rest of them already were. The looks of pure joy on his younger brothers faces made him smile.

"Ace~, Sabo~" They both looked up at him and cheered when he wagged two gifts in their faces. They both tackled him to the floor and thanked him before pulling the presents out of his grasp and ripping them open. He sat up with a grin as both exclaimed their excitement about their gifts.

Ace had gotten an orange belt with an "A" insignia that would fit him for a long time. Orange was his favorite color and he had been looking at this in the store when their parents brought them shopping a few weeks ago. Sabo had a pair of goggled that he, too, had been staring at when they were shopping.

Luffy turned to his parents and handed them both their gifts. He had gotten a pair of matching earrings for Mom in the shapes of hibiscuses and for his dad he had gotten a rare coin called One Piece. He had a whole collection of them. It was hard to get one, but Luffy had managed to pull a few strings to get it (even if he did now have a huge debt to Nami).

Ace and Sabo then dragged him over to open gifts with them, and his eyes glittered like stars at each and every gift.

Luffy loved Christmas, but not for the gifts.

He loved seeing his family smile like this.

* * *

***Something Irreplaceable** (Luffy 15 almost 16, Ace and Sabo 13)

Luffy stumbled through the front door, thankful for the darkness outside so that he wouldn't be seen. He had on a large, baggy sweatshirt and jeans, which was strange, but he had no choice. His other clothes were destroyed - torn to pieces, muddied and bloodied, now just dirty rags, leftovers of a crime committed on him. He felt like he was going to throw up. He needed the bathroom, but when the door closed behind him, his legs gave out. He collapsed forward until he was half on the stairs, trembling from the pain.

He was thankful no one was home.

He gripped the railing and pulled himself up, a little at a time. It was absolute agony. He would cry out when his shaky hands lost their grip and he fell hard. Whenever he bumped into the next stair he would grunt and clench his jaw tighter. His breaths were coming out in harsh pants and he could feel the sweat forming on his body. He was itchy all over – he was dirty. He felt absolutely disgusted with himself.

When he finally reached the second floor, he got on all fours and somehow managed to drag himself into the bathroom down the hall. He managed to hold everything in before he pushed the toilet seat up and threw up.

It burned his throat and he teared up slightly from it. The amount that he threw up was too much, considering he hadn't ate at all that day, but he didn't care.

He wanted that disgusting feeling gone.

He threw up for about a good ten minutes, on and off, tears streaming down his face, before he finally calmed down. He flushed the toilet and turned to turn on the shower. He yanked the awful, confining, uncomfortable clothes off of his body. He crawled into the boiling hot water and sat on the floor for a few moments, watching the water, blood and the disgusting, sticky, white substance flow down the drain.

He felt weak. Unbelievably weak. He began to sob as he grabbed the bar of soap and rub at his skin – bruised and bloody and exposed – until it was red and raw. He wanted the awful red bite marks gone, he wished the bruises in the shapes of hands on his hips were gone, he wished his throat wasn't sore from having something shoved down it and most of all, he wished the pain in his lower half would just disappear. He would rather have just gotten the beating, left with only bruises from bats and fists and feet, than this.

He didn't know when he finally turned the shower off but when he did, he pushed himself to his legs and stepped out, grabbing the darkest towel he could and painfully leaning over to grab the clothes before leaning on the wall and making his way to his bedroom.

This was one of those times he was glad he had his own room.

He locked it from the inside and tossed the clothes into the farthest reaches of his room, let the towel pool to the floor, and then laid down on top of the covers. He was worn out and he had never been in this much pain before – not after the wolf attacks, not after drowning, not even after getting shot.

He really hated Bellamy for letting it happen and all of the men who did this to him. But, at the same time, he had to wonder if the exact same thing had happened to the other.

_"Do to him what happened to me."_

Luffy covered his eyes with his arms and took a trembling breath. Bellamy had left the room when the others took over and Luffy thought, for the first time since he saw Bellamy broken in the bushes, he looked broken. For the first time ever, he saw regret and guilt shining in his eyes. But Luffy didn't get it - why did he have such strange personality shifts?

Then again, at this point, he didn't care all too much. He just wanted the pain to stop.

That night, Luffy cried himself into an exhausting sleep which left him feeling more tired than before.

* * *

Donquixote laughed, his head thrown back in glee as he spun around in his chair. He stared down at the recording on his computer, reveling in the pain caused to the boy.

"It's coming closer and closer. Very soon, my plan to get rid of the Monkey's will be complete. That Roger is very lucky he chose to take his mother's name, otherwise they would be in the same situation right now."

Doflamingo suddenly spun around in the chair, picking up a sharp knife and throwing it at the picture of Luffy on the wall. It struck the picture of the teen right over the heart. Doflamingo grinned, a terrifying look coming over his eyes.

"It's only a matter of time."

* * *

Three days later, most of Luffy's friends came to visit. (It wasn't as if a reindeer, android, and skeleton could just walk in here. His mom would probably faint and his dad would cause chaos. His brothers would probably chase them around like he did when they first met. It would be chaos.) He guessed his parents called them over to try and get him to talk. He had barely left his room from the pain, had eaten almost nothing and threw up at least once a day after waking up from nightmares they knew about but didn't know what they were about.

He told them to come in as he lay with his face buried in his pillow. He heard several sets of footsteps before the door closed softly. As he heard them shuffle about the room, sitting or pulling beanbag chairs over, he slowly sat up.

They were all shocked. His eyes had never been this lifeless before.

Zoro walked over to Luffy from where he had been standing when he entered and sat on the bed next to him. He knew his friend was in pain, and he knew it wasn't something that they could easily understand.

None of them spoke. They knew he would speak when he was ready, but they weren't leaving until he said something. Luffy felt the eyes on him and wanted to crawl under the covers but he knew he couldn't – it wouldn't help anything. He knew they wanted answers.

"I…" They all focused on him and he swallowed the lump of fear, even though the tears still fell. "I'm…I'm weak…" He began to sob and Zoro pulled him in carefully, letting him lean into his body as he cried and let everything out without saying a word.

* * *

_The hands were roaming all over his body. They were touching places that shouldn't be touched, but he couldn't fight back. He was chained and he had to do this because he was already shot and beaten and else everyone else would be in danger if he didn't do this. But he was scared, and then, there was white hot pain – _

Luffy gasped as he jerked awake. He thrashed about in the sheets, feeling hands holding him down, and he was pretty sure that at one point he screamed. Then the hands moved. They weren't holding him down, no, they were holding him close. There was another hand on his head and it was cold and made him feel better.

Luffy's breath slowed and his vision came back into focus. He wasn't hearing those horrid sounds of skin and grunts and moaning that had echoed of the cement walls – he heard soft whispers that he knew were trying to soothe him. Still exhausted from the nightmares, he fell right back into a deep sleep.

He didn't hear or see that it was Ace and Sabo.

"I don't like this," Sabo whispered to his twin as he wiped away some of the sweat on his older brothers forehead. His breathing had finally calmed down and he seemed to be in a more peaceful sleep now.

"I wish he would tell us what's wrong," Ace whispered back. He lay on top of Luffy as he had previously been hugging him to calm him down. Sabo hummed in agreement, his brows furrowed with worry. Both had been up late and were sneaking back to their room when they heard the shuffling and whimpers coming from his room.

"We'll find out eventually," Sabo whispered as he laid down as well. It had been a long time since they had done so, but the three slept together that night. The two left before Luffy woke up, but he had to wonder why he was able to sleep so well that night.

* * *

**AN: I'm sorry for being so cruel! Please don't kill me! I blame Doflamingo. He's a cruel bastard to anyone who angers him - or their kids who have nothing to do with it at all. He's awful.**

**Also, as for the * scene, I did not change the rating because I have read other T rated stories with worse content and I went back over the rules and decided it can be T. This does not mean the rating still cannot change, as it may in future chapters. If you feel it should be changed now, please tell me and I will reconsider the present rating.**

**So, this is a slightly early update based on what I said yesterday. But this morning, I learned I have summer reading that is, for some reason beyond my comprehension, due on the 3rd. Why the hell can't it be due when I go back to school? I dunno. But I have to go speed read, write a bunch of crap, and then answer questions, so I probably will be out of existence for the next 4 days. I hate procrastinating. But, I will return, I can promise you that.**

**spoons-are-evil: I had that argument with my sis all the time and I always laugh whenever I hear it. I can imagine it being a very Ace/Luffy argument growing up in any universe. And no, as you can see now, not much childish Luffy anymore...I feel so mean to them! AGH! Anyway, you are right on that spelling. The site I looked at was wrong. :/ Thank you for the correction though! And no, he's told no one. He can't lie, but he can keep a secret. Which, as you can now see, is a VERY bad thing. His kindness will be the cause of a lot of what will happen to him later on, sadly. And though Bellamy did do most of the things - except for what happened to Luffy in the last scene - Doflamingo is the biggest evil since Bellamy is just a bloodlusting tool he created for his own amusement and convenience. If Bellamy had a normal life, the two very well could've been friends. And Luffy logic will always win! It's simplicity makes too much sense. I'm happy you liked those scenes - I wanted to put them in and I needed some adventure in the story. It seemed like a good fit. I'm happy their personalities are right too. And I'm gonna say thanks again for the advice, cause this chapter was the whole reason for my confliction.**

**shadowmarialove: Hahaha sorry to wake you up. Thank you! Glad you liked it!**

**02FireRains: I'm happy about that - it's what I'm aiming for. It'll play a huge role throughout this story, so I hope you like how it does play out.**

**Thank you for reading! Please leave a review! I'll be back in a few days!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Warnings: Mentions of violence, possible OOC characters, fluff, minor language**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece! Not me!**

* * *

**_"…Stronger and Stronger, Stronger and Stronger, and even Stronger than that!" _**(Luffy 16, Ace and Sabo 13)

Luffy sat up in his bed quickly, taking in a gasping breath.

What the hell kind of dream was that?

He blinked and looked down at his hands, thinking back on it. He was the baby brother in the scenario, and both Sabo and Ace were older. But, Sabo had been murdered...He clenched his fists as he remembered the words he had spoken to a ten year old Ace and gulped. It had seemed so vivid and lifelike, as if it had actually happened...

Luffy smacked his cheeks and sighed, pushing it out of his mind for now. Even if it was a completely different (not really but it felt like it) scenario, Luffy full-heartedly agreed with his younger self.

He had to get stronger.

* * *

Luffy grinned as his brothers ran off the soccer field over to where he stood. They had just won their game again and Luffy couldn't help but laugh as they ran up, cheering. The three then began their trek home, to the other side of town.

"Those guys didn't stand a chance!" Ace smirked while Sabo agreed with him. Luffy laughed as they finished ranting on about how the other team was all bark and no bite. Then, both looked at Luffy. "Luffy, why did you quit?"

Luffy blinked at his brothers and grinned. He loved playing soccer, and he did so through the past few years, but he couldn't anymore. He had more important things to focus on, like getting stronger.

"I had more important things to take care of."

"Like what?"

"Getting stronger."

"But you're already strong!"

Luffy laughed at his brothers. Both yelled and punched him in both arms before he replied.

"Always room to get stronger."

Ace and Sabo felt it was something more than that but let it slide.

* * *

"Luffy, your grades are getting worse."

"Sorry, mom."

He looked down at the ground, not wanting to meet her gaze. Luffy was slightly surprised when she pulled him into a hug.

"I don't know what's troubling you lately, but whatever it is, you can always come and talk to us, alright? You can tell us anything."

Luffy blinked before he smiled and hugged his mom back.

"Thanks, Mom."

* * *

_Stronger._

Luffy was running to his karate dojo on the other side of town, at least five miles away. He was almost there. He looked down at his timer and grinned – he was faster than last time.

But it still wasn't enough.

_I have to get stronger._

He was up against Lucci, who was for once breaking a sweat, something that was rare when Luffy fought him. Punches, kicks, anything was allowed in their fight since the two of them practiced MMA.

_It's not enough yet – I have to get stronger._

He could see Zoro working out nearby while Sanji was kicking the life out of a punching bag. He looked back at Lucci, who had gone back to training. Luffy and him had a tie. That meant that Luffy was getting stronger. He moved to the other equipment and began to lift weights or take frustrations out on punching bags or anyone who dared challenge him.

_More._

When his two hours there were done, he ran the long way home – eight miles. He refused the rides his friends offered him.

_It's not enough yet._

When he was on an empty street, he slowly stopped. His senses had gotten better and he knew someone was there. When they came out, he saw it was some gang. He recognized the leader – that Arlong bastard he beat up recently and years ago for harassing Nami.

_Stronger and stronger._

Fifteen minutes later, he was running again. He was a little wounded, a few bruises and cuts, but otherwise he was perfectly fine. He ran away from the scene, knowing they were down for a long time, and continued his way home.

He knew he was getting stronger, but it wasn't enough yet. No, his grades were not the best and his family didn't know his reason for getting stronger, neither did his friends, but as long as he got stronger he didn't care. He didn't regret anything.

_I have to get stronger to protect them._

* * *

**Growing Suspicions** (Luffy 16, Ace and Sabo 13)

"Kidd, I swear if you use that move again, I'm going to get Donkey Kong and kick your ass!"

"You're just saying that 'cause you suck at playing games, Law!"

"Will you guys stop fighting – ah! Kidd! How could you kill Jigglypuff like that!"

"Thatch, why are you even playing as Jigglypuff?"

"AH! MARCO! DON'T SHOCK ME!"

"Too bad. I'm Pikachu – you should expect it!"

"Link will beat all of you!"

"Shut up! Link is going to die!"

The boys were all yelling at each other as they continuously fought over their video game. They were the only ones home, both parents at work and Ace and Sabo's brother nowhere to be found. Suddenly, the game ended with Pikachu as the winner.

"Damn you Marco!" Ace smacked him over the head as he grinned smugly at them all. They would've played another round had all of their stomachs not simultaneously rumbled in hunger. Thatch laid back on the floor dramatically.

"Ace, Sabo, do you guys have food?"

"I'm pretty sure we have some meat to eat."

The second Sabo said that all of his friends and his brother ran into the kitchen. He sighed and made to walk in as well, but stopped when he heard the front door open, close, and then something fell with a thud. Confused, he walked out, wondering if there was any idiot who would rob a house in broad daylight, but immediately paled when he saw what it really was.

"LUFFY!"

Sabo ran to his brother and heard the sounds from the kitchen stop. Luffy was slumped against the stairs and Sabo was pretty sure he was coughing up blood and his chest was bleeding badly too. Sabo quickly got next to his brother, turning him onto his back, while the elder forced his eyes open. Luffy chuckled weakly.

"It's alright Sabo…it's nothing big…"

"Nothing big?!" Ace and all the others had run over upon seeing what was wrong. Law had run to get a first aid kit while the Ace and Sabo helped Luffy to go and sit on the couch. Their friends followed nervously while Thatch ran to find painkillers. "What do you mean this is nothing big, Luffy?!"

Luffy chuckled but it sounded wet and strained. He began coughing as Sabo shakily took off his shirt.

All of them paled.

He was covered in bruises and scratches and scars. The largest was the one bleeding, in the shape of an X, but they were looking at all of him at the moment. Knife scars, bruises in the shape of hands, and even several bullet scars were scattered, but most were on his torso. When Ace and Sabo thought back on it, their brother never did go swimming or take of his shirt in front of anyone. Then, Ace alone saw the bite marks under cuts and on his neck, harsh and bleeding. He felt his blood begin to pound as realization shot through him, but he was suddenly distracted. "It's alright, Ace." Ace froze when his brother put his hand on his head in a comforting manner. Why was his brother doing the comforting?! He should be the one doing that, not Luffy!

Law ran back in with the first aid kit and shoved them all away. He had watched his mother at work before and had even done stitches on dolls before, and while he knew it wasn't the same, he knew it could save Luffy.

They all looked back at the X shaped wound once more. In no way was that an accident. Luffy's mouth twitched when the needle touched his skin but otherwise he was expressionless. He wouldn't complain about the pain to these guys, he only did when Chopper and his friends helped to patch him up, and only then when it was a small wound just for the heck of it.

Law finished stitching up the wound quickly and Luffy slowly and carefully sat up before taking the painkillers and glass of water from Thatch. Luffy sighed. He really screwed up that time. Bellamy had paid big bucks to a senior nicknamed Crocodile and he underestimated him. The two had double teamed and somehow, Bellamy managed to get this devastating blow. In the end he won because of Crocodile's ego, but still, he got stabbed and none of his friends were there to help and his phone had been destroyed. He was just lucky he wasn't seen and he was able to keep the bleeding slow, or else there would've been panic over the trail of blood.

"What happened?"

"It was just a fight."

"Just a fight?" Ace's hands were clenched into fists and he was shaking with anger. This wasn't the first time something like this happened. He often came home bruised and battered, but never like this.

"Yeah, I beat them though. It's nothing to worry about," Luffy said as he slowly stood, quietly cursing someone but none of them could catch the name. "I'm gonna go take a nap."

"Why?" He stopped and looked back at Ace and Sabo. Sabo was looking away, biting his lip, while Ace glared at him furiously. "You keep coming home like this and you don't tell anyone what's wrong! What the hell is happening?"

Their brother always answered their questions honestly.

"It's nothing you have to worry about."

He said that with sincerity in his eyes, but neither could fully trust that answer.

* * *

"This is perfect," The blond man said, arms crossed with his chin resting on them. "His family is suspicious." Doflamingo pushed away his empty plate as he looked over the report.

"Yes, sir. They haven't been talking to each other in school nearly as much and at home, the sons fight more often than normal."

Doflamingo laughed loudly while Bellamy smirked insanely as the second personality was.

"You're doing very good, Bellamy, my boy. Just a little longer, and then, everything will be finished."

* * *

**Cracking but Moving Forward** (Luffy 16, Ace and Sabo 13)

Luffy collapsed against the wall. Bellamy's bastard underlings had just left so he was finally able to rest. As usual, his ass hurt, but he wouldn't voice about it. He was just happy his friends and family were safe.

_But if I was stronger, the threat wouldn't be there._

Luffy grit his teeth and pulled the straw hat onto his head. He wondered what Shanks would do if he was here, but Shanks was at college with all of the others. He didn't want to drag his friends or family into this because he wasn't sure he could protect them. Shanks was much stronger than him though.

_I have to get stronger._

Despite the limp in his step and the pain he had grown used despite still hurt him, he walked the two miles home.

* * *

**AN: I'm back! I finished the book and I go and try to add to the discussion boards but absolutely NO ONE ELSE has added anything out of two classes. Agh. I wanna add something but then I'll just be that kid that gets everyone in trouble. GAH! Oh well. Anyway, just realized that we're approaching a very important part of the story. Also, about last chapter, you guys were all rightfully angry (I mean, that was just an awful scene) but I can't tell if you missed something important happened to Bellamy as well. Did you guys catch it? I can't tell at all. **

**Aslightlybadasshuman: It was kind of written out of missing my grandma**

**spoons-are-evil: I figured that Luffy as the older brother would win a lot in this scenario against his brothers. It fits his role well. And Ace is violent. I feel like he would throw a remote at his head (I've done the same with a phone :/ ). Luffy hasn't told his family, Chopper treats some injuries, but mostly he learned to treat it himself. And Doflamingo is a sicko for making Bellamy do that. But did you pick up on what he had done to Bellamy? And I like rants - they're my life. I always get way into a story too. It actually took a long time for me to think of gifts so I'm glad you liked them. And no, they don't get what summer is. I'm just happy most of mine, except for this one which was nonfiction, involved tons of art and foreign language (if it was math I would die). Thank you and I hope this chapter was worth the wait :)**

**shadowmarialove: I know. Trust me, it was painful to write. I felt awful putting Luffy through that. Doflamingo is just a huge sicko. And in this chapter, where it shows him training, he's been doing it for a long time, I just found now as the most appropriate place to put it in. And he's far from weak, Bellamy's lackeys and Doffy use cheap methods.**

**FlightWulf: It happened. 100% sadly happened. But yep, Luffy will advance this plot a bunch now. I'm happy you like the fast updates and I shall. The last few chapters will probably take a bit though... I hope this was worth the wait!**

**Thank you very much for reading! Please leave a review as I love reading all feedback :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Warnings: Fluff, language, underage drinking, violence**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Eiichiro Oda does.**

* * *

**Their Last Meeting** (Luffy 16, Ace and Sabo just 14)

Luffy had been surprised in the early spring when Shanks showed up on his doorstep, saying that he had a few days off from college, and whisked him away to the beach – the same beach he had visited all of those years ago as a young child.

Shanks grabbed a bottle of beer and tipped it back, letting the burning and bitter liquid flow down his throat. Luffy took a sip from his, still getting used to the taste. They were both sitting in the trunk of Shanks' old red truck, staring out over the lapping waves of the ocean as the moon shined down on them from far above.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Shanks said with a grin, staring out at the ocean. He jumped down from his truck and walked down to the sand before letting himself fall back into it. Luffy laughed and moved to join him, being careful not to spill the drink as Shanks had.

"I love the ocean," Luffy said with a grin and a laugh. Shanks laughed loudly before taking another sip of his beer. It was loud, but it was only the two of them out there. There were no houses or cars or people walking - it was the two of them for miles. Aside from the crashing waves, they were the only source of noise in the night.

"One day, I'm gonna be travelling out there, on the big blue. I'll do whatever I want, 'cause when you have a boat, you don't have to listen to anyone," Shanks said with a drunken, dreamy stare out at the water. He suddenly picked himself up of the sand and walked down to the water line. He threw his arms out and shouted, "Just you wait, world! I'm gonna give ya hell!" He burst into laughter and allowed himself to fall back into the sand again while Luffy was uncontrollably laughing further up on the sand.

Luffy stood and went to lay down next to Shanks. The water flowed between their feet as they stared up at the starry sky, breathing heavily from the aftermath of laughter. For the first time in a long time, he felt at ease. Here, nothing bad could happen to him. He closed his eyes from the relief he felt, missing the slightly concerned stare of his idol.

"Nah, Luffy," The black haired teen turned to the red haired one beside him. "I got this in the mail, but the letter inside said it was for you. It said nothing else, just your name." Luffy held his hand out as the drunken young man handed him a flash drive with words printed on it in marker. Luffy shrugged as he took it and put it in his pocket.

"Thanks, Shanks."

"No problem, kid. I bet it's someone teasing you for being unable to swim," Shanks teased, poking at Luffy. The boy punched him, but it was drunken and poorly aimed. The two burst into laughter.

Their laughter filled the beach as the night went on and more and more alcohol disappeared down their throats. It was Luffy who passed out drunk first, not at all used to alcohol. Shanks, though drunk, managed to maneuver the younger onto his back as he walked back to his truck. He looked back at the younger with concerned eyes for a moment before speaking fondly.

"If you ever need help, Luffy, you can tell me." He already knew very well the boy already knew that and that the boy probably didn't hear him, but he liked to fancy the thought he did when the younger smiled slightly in his sleep after the words were said.

* * *

Luffy never did remember to look at the flash drive. He left it on his desk, once in a while questioning who, or what, Ivankov was. Shanks never asked him if he looked at it during their phone calls and video chats. No one else asked what the flash drive was for. For Luffy, whatever was on it, he decided he would rather it remained a mystery.

* * *

**A Reason to Cheer** (Luffy almost 17, Ace and Sabo 14)

Luffy had finally beat Lucci.

Lucci had given him a small grin before patting him on the head and walking away while everyone else cheered and surrounded him.

_No one_ had ever beaten Lucci. Luffy felt immense pride in the fact that he did beat Lucci. It had taken years, getting constantly beaten himself, but he did it. Luffy cheered loudly as Zoro ruffled his hair and Sanji pat his back.

That day he decided he would walk home with his friends instead of taking his eight mile detour.

The moon and the stars shined brightly above the three boys as they walked home. They had all showered at the dojo and were wearing fresh, clean clothes.

"Hey, Luffy," Luffy looked at Sanji who was lighting a cigarette, "Where did you get that scar from?" Luffy looked down at his chest, his vest currently unbuttoned and hanging of his frame loosely. He couldn't remember the alst time that he saw anybody see his torso. Was it before the first gang beating? Or was it right after the rape? ...He couldn't remember. Still, that huge X that bastard Bellamy had given him a while ago was still there. It was just barely healed know. Remembering that day still made him shiver.

_"You've been hanging out with your friends more often lately," Bellamy said with a glare as he kept his gun pointed at Luffy, who was frozen in a punching position in front of Bellamy. He would just take the shot if it wasn't for the fact it was aimed at his heart. It wasn't as if he hadn't gotten shot before. Now...there was more at stake._

_"I'm allowed to hang out with my friends."_

_"Have you been talking?"_

_"What else do I do with my friends?"_

_"I meant talking about this, you fucking moron."_

_"No, idiot. I told you I wouldn't."_

_"I don't believe you."_

_Bellamy suddenly pulled a knife out and using that and the gun, forced Luffy to his knees. Luffy glared up at the other._

_"I'm not talking about_ this._ I keep my word."_

_"I don't believe you."_

_Even after Bellamy's lackeys had raped him that day, and continuously after, he decided to add to his pain by carving the huge X in his chest. Bellamy had kicked him to the ground and held him there, standing with one foot on his face, as he dug the knife deep into his skin and dragged it along his chest. Luffy refused to cry out or show any sign of pain. Even though he wanted to scream, he didn't. This hurt less than his family and friends getting hurt. He could deal with this. And after, he still had the opportunity to beat them up._

"-ffy!" Luffy felt a foot connect with his face and grunted, looking over at Sanji who was glaring with annoyance. "Don't space out," Sanji grumbled something about how girls paid attention while Luffy just laughed at him.

"It was just a fight, nothing I can't handle."

Zoro and Sanji both looked a little wary of his answer, but they trusted him and grinned anyway. Not even a few minutes later, they all went their separate ways home, Zoro once again going the wrong way, Luffy going straight and Sanji turning onto one of the conjoined streets.

* * *

**AN: I just realized the story is getting close to the end. That makes me really sad. :( But, I already have another story in the makings and if I can keep up with that, a third. But those will be after this is finished. I know this chapter is short, but I hope you guys like it. You're gonna be getting really long chapters soon since we're reaching the climax of the story (seriously one is like 10 pages long on Word).**

**Aslightlybadasshuman: Thank you and I'm glad you like the plot development :)**

**spoons-are-evil: It's nice to be back! And keep that dream in mind. Can't say more about it, but keep it in mind. And Luffy is like a training machine to try and protect them. In a way he's kinda like Zoro. He really can be too sweet (and loyal) for his own good. Crocy won't be returning - for him it was just a paid job, but he's still a bastard for doing it. (You should see how I yell at the TV. Sometimes I throw books at the wall I get so angry at the characters and when it comes to fan fiction...my family has called me crazy for my yelling at the computer.) I really wanted that last scene to make people sad...I can't say more. You'll understand soon. And I'm glad you picked that up cause no one commented on it and I felt like I hurt Bellamy for nothing and because that was a big reason that stuff did happen to Luffy. I don't even have my second book yet so I don't know, but I still have three weeks to read it so I hope it's not too bad. I'm happy to be back and I'm glad you liked it!**

**jam klaoo: Thank you! :) I'm glad you liked it! I try to update every day or every other day. I hope you liked this chapter!**

**youshouldn'tneedtoknow: I feel bad for writing the bad things about them :( Keep in mind the stronger and stronger part for later**

**shadowmarialove: Doffy deserves an ass kicking. I'm happy you enjoyed it :) And it definitely shows how much he's trying to get stronger for his brothers. Bellamy's second personality sucks**

**This is random but I'm eating lunch right now and my chips taste like nuts. It tastes really weird...Anyway, last chapter I had 5 reviews! I'm pretty sure that's the most I've gotten on a chapter so far so I just wanna thank you guys! You rock :) Anyway thank you very much for reading and leave a review! I like to hear what you guys think!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Warnings: Fluff, minor language, possible OoC characters**

**Disclaimer: Oda owns One Piece, not me!**

* * *

**Nakama Moments** (Luffy almost 17, Ace and Sabo 14)

They were both tired, beaten up, but happy. The two of them had just sparred and were laying on the ground of Zoro's family's dojo, contented.

"Zoro," The green haired boy shifted to look at Luffy. "I know you'll become the best swordsman in the world." Zoro smirked before both decided to take a small nap.

* * *

"Awesome!" Luffy and Chopper screamed simultaneously, staring at Franky with sparkling eyes. The blue-haired man had made one of his largest model-boats yet, and it had a mini canon on it.

"Watch this," Franky grinned at the two and pressed another button. After a few seconds, the boat shot into the air and flew for a few seconds before landing in his hands. "What do you think?"

"Franky, that's so awesome!" Luffy yelled, his eyes shining even more.

"Hahaha! Of course it is! It's SUPER!"

* * *

"Sanji, meat," Luffy whined, causing his friend to sigh. The blond was cooking food right now for a party they were going to have and Luffy had been the first to arrive.

"Here," Luffy blinked, not having expected the meat yet since Sanji normally made him wait. "A little of everything," The blond grinned at him and Luffy laughed, thanking him, before digging in.

* * *

Robin was reading a book on history – this time a book on Russia – while Luffy was next to her on the ground, sleeping. They did this often – the calm atmosphere allowed Luffy to, for once, be quiet and hang out with his friend while Robin got to read her books.

"Robin?" Luffy asked quietly. Robin hummed as she looked down at him. "Is history cool?"

She smiled softly. "It's very cool, Luffy, especially the history of pirates."

"…Do you have any books on pirates?"

"Yes, Luffy. I can lend it to you tomorrow, if you would like."

"Yeah! Thank you, Robin."

"No problem, Luffy."

Then they fell back into their quiet routine, both with smiles on their faces.

* * *

"OW! Nami, what was that for?!" Luffy turned and yelled at the girl. Next to him, Usopp was grumbling in pain as well.

"I told you two not to touch my tangerines! You guys owe me 1,000 Beli!"

"One thou- Nami! That's to much for one tangerine!" Usopp yelled back at her, only to get smacked again.

"1,500 Beli!"

"No way!"

"2,000 Beli!"

As Nami and Usopp kept fighting, Luffy grinned, not really caring for all the money he owed Nami because it was worth having one of her awesome tangerines.

* * *

"That's so cool, Franky!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes shining as he watched Franky's laser beam take out a whole line of balloons. Franky laughed.

"Took me a while, but I figured it out easily once I got past the whole color part."

"Your inventions are so cool, Franky! How do you do it?"

"Lot's of free time and practice."

Luffy turned around, staring with awe at his ship models.

"Those ships…those are the best," He said, absolutely amazed. Franky's eyes widened in shock before a fond yet embarrassed smile overcame him.

"Tom taught me everything I know…"

"He must've been a great man."

Franky gulped with a smile. "A very great man."

"…Nah, Franky, can you make me a ship model?"

"That would be SUPER Luffy!"

Both of them laughed.

* * *

Calming music was being played, surrounding them in a quiet atmosphere. Luffy was getting tired from listening to it and was laying half asleep next to Robin, who was reading another book. Sanji was making something at the counter, his hands moving fast as he cooked.

"Robin! I made you a fruit parfait!" Sanji did his noodle dance as he brought the food over to the older teen. She smiled with a chuckle and accepted it with a "thank you". Sanji grinned and then turned to Luffy with a straight face. "There's some extra if you want, Luffy."

The younger bolted up and over to the counter, grabbing the extra parfait and cheering. "Delicious! Sanji, your food is awesome!" Sanji gave a small grin as he went back to the counter to finish cleaning. Robin gave a smile while Brook continued playing his music with a smile on his face.

* * *

Luffy sighed as he walked out of the classroom. Again he had gotten scolded for his "disruptive behavior". What disruptive behavior?! Luffy put in extra effort to make sure he didn't do anything stupid! His teachers were just really stingy. Doodling is _not_ disruptive.

"Yo, Luffy," Luffy looked up upon hearing a familiar voice and grinned at the green haired teen. "Get yelled at again?"

"Yeah, but this time I didn't do anything. The teachers here are just annoying," Luffy turned around and stuck his tongue out at the door before turning away and walking down the hall with Zoro.

"At least you don't have detention today," Zoro grumbled.

"Did you fall asleep in class again?"

"...Shut up." Luffy just began laughing while Zoro glared half-heartedly at the other.

* * *

"So, how do you hold this again?"

"Ah, you keep holding it wrong, Luffy. Put your arms like this…that's good! Now, shoot!"

_BAM_

"Awesome! I shot the target!" Luffy cheered, bouncing with excitement, while Usopp grinned.

"The great Usopp is just that great of a teacher!"

"Usopp, how often do you come here?" Luffy turned to his friend as he took his own round of shots at his target. When he was done, he turned to Luffy while a very serious expression. "Every weekend."

"You're like Zoro with his training."

"At least I don't get lost going to the gym."

Then Usopp did an imitation of Zoro, which sent both boys to the floor in a fit of giggles.

* * *

"Luffy, you need to take more care of yourself! I swear, you come here every day to get your injuries treated! I can't stand seeing you getting hurt!" Chopper scolded as he patched up Luffy's injuries. Luffy pouted.

"Sorry, Chopper. But, I promise I'll take better care of myself!" Luffy mock-saluted Chopper, who just sighed fondly. He knew that Luffy would be back here again tomorrow, injured again, but it actually made him happy having a patient to treat.

He felt needed, and that was enough for him.

He didn't realize that Luffy had fallen asleep until the boy was leaning on him, snoring. Chopper smiled and transformed into his larger, normal reindeer form and laid on the forest floor with Luffy, both sleeping as cherry blossom petals fell around them from the tree they were next to.

* * *

"Going to deliver Binks' Sake!

Following the sea breeze! Riding on the waves!

Far across the salty depths! The merry evening sun!

The birds sing as they draw circles in the sky!"

Luffy clapped and cheered as he sang along with Brook as he played the song _Binks' Sake _on his violin. Luffy loved music, but Brook's would always be his favorite.

"Brook, you're so awesome!"

"Yohohohoho, thank you Luffy! You are awesome too!"

They both laughed out of joy.

* * *

"Luffy," The raven haired teen turned to his red haired friend. They were in her backyard, caring for the tangerine trees that her family owned and cared for. He blinked, taking a sip of the lemonade she made as she turned to him with a grin and a box of tangerines.

"Luffy, I want you to have these. Think of it as an early birthday present."

"Really?!" Luffy's eyes shined and he grinned widely. Nami nodded and grinnd.

"Yup, but only this once, you got it?"

"Yeah! Thank you, Nami! Your tangerines are awesome!"

"Of course they are," She placed her hands on her hips and grinned at her friend, who held the box of fruit with care.

She said it was only once, but she was actually going to bring him a huge box the day of his birthday, too, because he was one of her best friends and he needed to know that (not that he didn't know it).

* * *

** Family Moments** (Luffy almost 17, Ace and Sabo 14)

"Hi Mom. D'ya need any help?" Luffy walked up to his Mom from behind. She turned around and smiled at her eldest and shook her head.

"No, but thank you Luffy," He grinned at her and laughed and she chuckled back. Suddenly there was a spoonful of food in his face. "Try this. It's something new I tried out. Does it taste good?"

Luffy took the spoon and ate the stew. He had a huge grin on his face as he nodded.

"That's great, Mom! What is it?"

"It's a different recipe for beef stew," She said, laughing lightly.

"You should make it more often. It's great!"

"I will make sure to do so," She grinned and held her arm out for a hug. He smiled and moved in to hug her before stealing the spoon from her and eating more of the stew.

* * *

"Luffy, can you come over here?"

Luffy looked over from the basketball hoop and saw his dad was working on the car. He walked over unhurriedly.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"Can you grab that wrench for me?" He pointed in the direction of the only wrench on the floor and Luffy walked over and then knelt next to the floor, handing it to his dad.

"Dad, why are you working on this car?"

"Why do you ask?"

"'Cause you're not a mechanic."

Roger laughed in response. "I'm not a mechanic, but I can fix the simple things." Luffy raised an eyebrow at him. From what he heard, car problems aren't exactly simple. He came out from under the car and grinned down at it. "It's a gift."

"A gift? For what?"

"Someone's birthday is coming up," Roger said, looking over at Luffy expectantly.

"Whoever he is, he's lucky he's getting this car. It's such a cool car," Luffy grinned and Roger sighed softly and silently. Sometimes his son worried him…

"What color are you gonna paint it?" Luffy asked, circling the car and marveling at the seats, the steering wheel, and the fact that it was an old car but still looked so good.

"I don't know yet. Any ideas?"

"Hmmm…paint it red!" Luffy grinned up at his dad, and Roger grinned.

"Alright! Red it is! Do you want to help?"

"Eh? Do I have to?" Luffy whined, causing Roger to laugh.

* * *

"Isn't it pretty?" Luffy said as he stared up at the starry sky above. They were far from any cities, so it was easy to see even the small stars that were normally impossible to see. It was stunning. Ace and Sabo grinned and nodded.

They were laying on the beach in the middle of the night. Luffy had asked if he could take his brothers here, since they hadn't been to the beach since they were one. His parent's agreed. They had food in the back of the truck he borrowed from his dad. It was the first time in a long time, maybe months, he hadn't ditched them due to Bellamy's whims.

"I wish we'd come to the beach before when we were little," Sabo said in complete awe.

"We did, when you two were just babies. Dad tried to teach me to swim. Obviously didn't work," Luffy chuckled as his brothers sniggered at him.

"Nah, Luffy," Luffy looked over at Ace, who had one hand raised up to the sky. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"When I grow up?" Luffy blinked and looked back up at the sky. He hadn't thought much about that. His thoughts were too consumed with defeating Bellamy. But, a life without Bellamy…He smiled. "I want to be the man with the most freedom."

"The man with the most freedom?" Ace looked over at Luffy, and he nodded.

"Where I don't have to worry about consequences, and I can do whatever I want. I want to be that man."

"…Dad would tell you not to get married then," Ace mumbled, causing his brother's to burst into laughter. Many times, Roger had tried to do something with Rayleigh or something extremely stupid only for Rouge to scold at him and demand of him to do something else.

"Luffy?" Luffy turned his head to look at Sabo, as his younger brother turned his own head to face him. "Why do you want to be free? Aren't you already free?"

Luffy smiled softly at his brother and turned his head back to the sky.

"Almost, Sabo. Almost."

Sabo stared at his brother for a few more moments. They were both startled out of their reverie when they heard snoring. They both looked at Ace and chuckled – his narcolepsy had struck again. Luffy stood and picked up his brother, walking over to the truck and placing him carefully in the back. Sabo hoped into the trunk as well and laid next to his brother, staring up at the sky quietly until he fell asleep. Luffy smiled down at his brother's and ran his fingers lightly over their hair, mumbling a quiet "Love you two," before looking back up at the sky. He leaned against the truck and breathed in the sea air.

He hoped out of the truck and took off his shoes, walking down to the water line. He allowed the water to run around his ankles as it pulsed waves like blood does for a heart. He could vaguely remember the feeling when he was four, except his feet were much smaller…

"Freedom, huh," He whispered quietly as he stared out over the horizon, his brother's sleeping peacefully in the trunk as he pondered what would happen when he would get to taste freedom again instead of just smelling it.

* * *

**AN: So, a very fluff-filled chapter for all of you. I hope you all enjoyed it. I can't believe this is almost over though. Kind of short but overall very important.**

**spoons-are-evil: I wanted at least one scene with drunken Shanks, and it seemed like a good place to put it. And Luffy, in his drunken state, sorta forgot about that flash drive which contains a bunch of info from Ivankov right before he died, and not just stuff about Doffy but about Bellamy and Dragon too. And yes, he beat Lucci! I found that a monumental moment in the manga/anime and I wanted to put a scene like that in here too. He might be able to beat Doffy if he teamed up with Bellamy, but you're just gonna have to see how it plays out. Anymore will be a spoiler. Luffy not crying out was a big form of defiance which actually really pissed Doffy off. Very hard to do for Luffy but very inspirational indeed. I can't believe I'm almost done with this either. And I can't say anything about the ending other than it's a huge surprise. It's sad ending it, but I have a bunch of other stories I want to write/finish writing because I'm a huge procrastinator. And I don't think there's even 4 more chapters. I always look forward to your reviews though - they make me very happy! :) (and I think those chips probably went bad...)**

**The Dark Crimson Blood: Thank you! I'm very glad you like it :) And I'm just happy I have reviews **

**jam klaoo: It was shorter than the others (which kinda annoyed me) but I wanted this to be separate. I can't answer that last question but you will definitely know within the next few days.**

**FlightWulf: I have a feeling this ending is going to throw everyone for a loop. For those questions, you'll just have to wait and see. :)**

**shadowmarialove: I can't answer that question. I'm glad you like Luffy's character. Thank you :)**

**I love you guys so much! Thank you for the reviews and thank you for reading! I'll see you guys tomorrow! :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Warnings: Violence, angst, OoC characters, character death, mentions of drug abuse/child abuse**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Eiichiro Oda does.**

**Suggested Music:**

**(1) Revelations - Veigar Margeirsson**

**(2) Leaving the Past (From the Mind Gap) - Veigar Margeirsson**

**(3) It Ends Tonight - All American Rejects**

**(4) Apologize - Timbaland **or** One Republic**

* * *

**The Worst Birthday: A Death in Flames** (Luffy 17, Ace and Sabo 14)

**(1) **Bellamy coughed violently, his body shaking with each jarring motion. His eyes were bloodshot and his skin was pale. He was breathing heavily with hatred shining in his eyes. He fell to his hands and knees, glaring at the picture below him – the picture of Doflamingo.

He brought his fist down on the frame, cracking the glass which subsequently cut deep into his hand. He did nothing to stop the blood from flowing from the deep cuts.

"Damn bird," He said with a choking, painful voice. He coughed again, his eyes moving to glare over at the food on the floor.

It had been poisoned. He learned all of his food had been poisoned right after he had his meal. He tried to run away, but got as far as the hallway before he collapsed. Doflamingo had merely laughed and walked right by him while telling him what he planned to have happen later on in the day. He also told Bellamy exactly how he was ill. Since when has he had MPD? But then again, it makes sense now. No wonder he couldn't remember even a fourth of anything he had ever done in his life. But this time, he knew, he might not survive. Doflamingo's plan was pure cruelty. If that plan went down how he planned word for word, the consequences would be ghastly. Not that he would be alive to _see_ it… He desperately hoped that kid named Luffy wouldn't listen to anything he was told to do. And that was his last thought before his world went black.

Bellamy passed out, unaware of Doflamingo in possession of his phone far away, texting one last thing before dropping the device in water.

* * *

Doflamingo looked out over the land as he flew over in his private jet. The airhostess served him some wine as he grinned.

"Today it all goes down. What a pity I cannot be there for it all." He looked at the glass in front of him and the sunken, waterlogged phone inside of it. A sick grin came over his face.

"Now, the cursed children of Dragon will die."

He looked down at the pictures of the two children, Bellamy and Luffy. Bellamy had been a drugged and drunken mistake on Dragon's part – Doflamingo's own wife had seduced the man after getting him drunk and pouring some drugs in his drink. Dragon didn't even know he existed. The boy looked exactly like his mother. On the other hand, Luffy had not been an accident – he was born from Dragon's love – yet he was born prematurely.

Doflamingo only knew who Bellamy was due to his wife's diary, which he had found one year later. He had her murdered out of pure anger and sent the boy off to be experimented on. If it had bee anyone but Dragon's kid, he probably would've had a normal life. He actually took almost completely after his mother. But no – anyone related to Dragon, especially with the last name Monkey, must die.

Did she really think he wouldn't notice that the boy Bellamy had the same dark blue eyes as Dragon, Luffy, and Garp?

It didn't matter anyway – the bitch was dead now, and soon the two wretched children would be gone from this world. He let those boys, ignorant of their shared blood, beat each other. And it was all because of that magical mixture of drugs – it had created an entire other personality in the blond boy; violent by nature, a lust for blood, and a love of torture. When he learned that Bellamy had Luffy raped in the same way Doflamingo's own men had raped him, Doflamingo could not stop laughing from the sick joy.

He really screwed up Dragon's kids, didn't he?

Doflamingo regretted nothing.

* * *

That day, his seventeenth birthday, Luffy woke up with a strange feeling. Something big was going to happen that day. He didn't know what, but he knew it was unavoidable.

That was hours ago and now, it was mid afternoon. It was a hot summer day and he was currently down by the river, his feet in the water to try and cool him off. His brothers were swimming in the river. After almost drowning, his parents made them go to swimming lessons. Luffy learned how after many long weeks but he couldn't swim for long and felt more comfortable on land. If he had a boat he'd go out on water but as it was, he had no boat.

Suddenly his phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked at his brothers one more time before pulling it out and looking at the text, glaring at it with contempt.

[You better be here tonight or your brothers will suffer.]

He closed the message and shoved his phone into his pockets as his brothers began to walk out of the water towards him. He took the moment to admire how they had grown – they weren't the little weaklings he once had to protect anymore. They were strong, with the beginnings of muscles that would likely bulge and abs starting to form. They had grown taller and he had the feeling that one day the both of them would tower over him. He grinned, happy that they had come out of life strong, something he was not sure of for himself.

"Hey, Luffy," Ace asked as he sat next to his brother, leaning on his palms to support his weight, "You're still taking us to the movie tonight, right?"

Luffy felt his smile fade as a grimace took over his features.

He was looking forward to the movie, and so were his brothers, but now he couldn't because if he didn't go face Bellamy, the bastard would use his mafia connections and have everyone he cared for murdered. And this wasn't the first time he had to ditch on his brothers either, and he had done so before to with his friends because of Bellamy's arrogant, selfish whims.

"Something popped up," Luffy said with a sigh. He said no more but heard Sabo's disappointed, quiet sigh as Ace went frigid next to him.

"It's always something that's popped up," Ace growled, glaring over at his brother. "Why can't you just tell them no?"

"It's not that simple, Ace."

"It is that simple! You're just to stupid to think to say no!"

"Ace."

Luffy inwardly grimaced as his brother began to yell at him, but he let it happen. Sabo tried to stop him, but it was futile.

"I guess you just don't want to hang out with us, given how often you've been doing this. It's getting really annoying. Why can't you understand that? Just tell them no!"

"I can't do that Ace. You don't understand anything. I can tell you later, but for now, just stop asking," Luffy sighed. Ace, meanwhile, grew furious. Whenever anyone told him that he wouldn't understand, it was always because he was too young and stupid to get it. And whenever he was told to wait, he never got answers.

"I guess that you're starting to think that we're not important to you as those bastards are," Ace hissed out and the next thing he knew, Luffy had punched him in the face. It was full of hate but Ace couldn't tell what it was directed at, just that it wasn't him. Sabo yelled at both of them to stop, but Luffy began walking away.

"You never will understand Ace. You're too immature to get it," Luffy knew he was hurting both of his brothers with his words but he said it anyway. Because if he didn't and if he told them what was happening, then they would worry. If he let on that something was happening that he couldn't handle, they would try to get involved. The best was to make them angry and stay out of it, even if he had to hurt them in the process. It killed Luffy on the inside, but he would rather have this than let them get hurt or worse, die.

He heard Ace growl and say, "Too immature? I'm not the one failing most of my classes. I'm not the one who keeps lying about where he goes. You're calling me immature? I can see right through you," Luffy closed his eyes, knowing that at this moment Ace didn't see his reasons but Luffy was wishing that Ace could see them, "I don't understand why Mom and Dad didn't just give you to the orphanage after they found you that night." Luffy heard Sabo start to yell at Ace and follow his twin as the other stalked away in a rage. Luffy kept his back turned the whole time, staring up at the sky. When the two were out of his hearing range, his face adopted a pained expression.

He knew he deserved that, since he had been pushing everyone away, but it still hurt like hell. He kind of had to wonder, though, when did Ace and Sabo learn about that?

"I have to end this as soon as I can," Luffy whispered to himself.

**(2) **He returned home, relieved when he found his brother's were not there. He took off his shoes and walked upstairs. He stared into his own bedroom with sad eyes, looking at its messy state. With a heavy sigh, he began to clean the room. The clothes were picked up off of the floor and put into the dirty laundry pile. He vacuumed and dusted. He put all of his books and papers in neat piles then arranged everything on his desk. He made his bed for the first time in a long time. And then he looked under his bed, and the only stray objects under there were Merry and Sunny, the brother's old teddy bears, staring back at him with sad eyes. He pulled both of them out and gave them a squeeze and a hug before neatly placing them on his bed, nostalgia shining in his eyes.

Then, he turned back to the one thing he left on his desk – a letter that had arrived this morning, a letter that had been in the mail for many years. It was a letter from Garp, before he had died.

Slowly, he grabbed the letter and sat, opening it and beginning to read with worn eyes.

_Luffy,_

_By now, it is very likely that I am dead. I am, after all, an old fart, aren't I? Bwahahaha. I hope you are okay when you get this, and I hope that your birthday is going okay._

_I feel bad telling you this now, but this is something you must be said._

_I don't know if you know yet, but you are an adopted child. Over the years though, I had been searching for something. You see, you would've had an uncle. Roger never met him, and I wish the two had met. But this uncle died. _

_I had been searching for the reason as to why he died, and I discovered what happened._

_He was trying to reveal Donquixote Doflamingo, the man helping to create and promote drugs in candy, and the government scam to the world. What they did was horrendous. And Dragon would have succeeded. Him and his wife were so very close._

_But then, tragedy befell. Luffy, you are Dragon's child. Your mother, sadly, died in childbirth, and your father was shot through the skull just hours after you were born. I don't know how, but through some turn of events, you ended up living with your uncle and aunt anyway. It must have been a miracle. And let me tell you, I am so very happy that it happened._

_Luffy, I am so proud of you. You are a strong boy and I know that one day, you will become a great man. I beg of you to stay away from the Donquixote's, because I want you to live. You deserve to live._

_Now, I have a warning to give you. Out of everything, Dragon wanted you protected the most – it was his dying orders. If Donquixote truly does know of your existence, he will make your life awful. Stay as far from him as possible, because he won't hesitate to hurt you. I hope nothing has happened to you._

_I love you very much Luffy. I'll always love you._

_Grandpa Garp_

Luffy was trembling and the letter was slowly becoming wet from his tears. It wasn't much, just a letter with vague information, but it made him cry.

So from the beginning, he was being targeted by the Donquixote's because of his family. Luffy began to cry as he realized more – it was all his fault. His birth mother's death, his blood father's death, Garp dying protecting him, Shanks's arm being torn off because of him, since the Chainsaw Murderer was a man was found to be a drug addict and a former member of the Donquixote group. All of it was because of him.

He gulped heavily and rubbed furiously at his eyes. He left the letter on the desk and took out his own paper and began to write with conviction. He knew he had to let his parent's know where he was, and what was happening, just in case they were attacked after this and he was no longer there. He knew that the chances of him living were very, very slim. But still, if he did nothing, he knew they would just come after him again, and again, and again.

He wouldn't let the people precious to him die.

Even if it meant he did.

A few hours later, he walked out of his house without his straw hat for the first time in years and the knowledge that he may never set foot inside again. He locked the door since no one else was home and walked down to the sidewalk. He looked up, taking one last look of the house he had lived in his whole life, his _home_.

"Goodbye," He whispered, mouthing an "I love you" to everything he was leaving behind, before walking forward, the setting sun casting long shadows behind him, to his unknown fate.

* * *

"So, you really did come."

Luffy glared at Bellamy's back from the bottom of the staircase. He could see the gun in Bellamy's hand and knew that this would be the last time he would see the gun, no matter what.

"I'm gonna kill ya today, ya know?" Bellamy turned around, obviously high, with a deranged look in his eyes. His hair was a mess, as though he had been pulling at it, and a twisted smile contorted his facial features.

"I won't let that happen."

Luffy ran up the stairs, swerving left to right as Bellamy tried to shoot at him. Luffy managed to dodge all of the bullets and ducked right before reaching Bellamy, ramming him in the gut with his fist. Bellamy coughed as he went flying back on the floor, but then grinned. He dodged Luffy's kick and brought a knife out, standing and stabbing at his arm and cutting a large gash into it. Bellamy cackled and stood, tackling Luffy to the railing.

Luffy kneed Bellamy in the gut several times as his own face was punched, but then to his surprise, the railing broke. Quickly, he put Bellamy under him to break his fall. They landed and before Luffy could react, Bellamy once again punched him in the face. Luffy was thrown off of Bellamy and then stabbed through the shoulder with a knife he pulled out from an inside pocket. Luffy screamed and clawed at Bellamy's face, causing Bellamy to scream in pain. Luffy shoved him off with his feet and quickly got to his own before brutally kicking Bellamy in the face, causing his nose and mouth to bleed.

Bellamy grabbed his knife again and threw it at the other, managing to cut a deep gash in his chest. Luffy growled as he knelt down in pain before forcing himself to move. He stood quickly as Bellamy did and, using his good arm, punched him in the gut. He followed up with and elbow to the face before punching his jaw upward, causing him to go through a pair of open doors.

Luffy followed Bellamy into the room to see him scrambling to his feet on the other side. The door suddenly slammed shut behind him, causing him to turn in shock. In those few seconds the other grabbed his gun and shot Luffy in the other shoulder, then, to Luffy's horror, near his heart, causing the boy to scream out in pain. He turned quickly and ducked behind a couch, avoiding more bullets until the gun was out of ammo. His world began to spin as he clutched at his chest, trying to stay stable and not pass out. He was screaming at himself in his head.

_Of all the places to get shot! Dammit! Dammit! DAMMIT!_

**(3) **Bellamy was laughing as he tossed the unloaded gun at the couch, watching it bounce off and fall to the ground with a thud. Luffy stood slowly, painfully, and shakily despite the pain bursting through his body and the bleeding, gauging Bellamy's sanity as he stood there, head facing the sky and arms thrown out like a mad man.

"Finally! I have succeeded in capturing you! Now I can be free!" Bellamy laughed loudly, desperately, and Luffy felt slightly concerned over him.

"What do you mean free?"

Bellamy stopped laughing and turned his head down to Luffy, staring him right in the eye. Luffy felt something in his heart warning him when he saw the fight in Bellamy's eyes. Then, Bellamy gripped at his head and collapsed to his knees, screaming in pain and repeatedly hitting his head on the floor. Luffy stood, unsure of what to do as he writhed on the floor.

He suddenly went still after his screams ended. He was panting heavily as Luffy stood on guard, completely focused on the blond despite how his own vision kept blurring and he kept on staggering. But then Bellamy looked up at him and Luffy knew that deep down, this was not the same person who had hurt him.

"…Luffy…" He croaked in a weak voice. The look in his eyes – the pure agony, the regret, the fear – frightened Luffy, because that was something foreign on Bellamy. "I'm so sorry, but run! Please!"

"Why are you telling me to run?" Luffy wanted to run, that was true, but he was confused as to why Bellamy wasn't what he wanted to run from.

"Please! I don't know much about what has happened to you," He began as he slowly and shakily got on his feet, approaching the other cautiously. "But we're both puppets right now. We've played right into his hand!"

"Who?"

"Doflamingo."

A maniacal laughter was suddenly heard throughout the room. Both teens heads whipped up at the sound, eyes searching.

"You're very right, my dear Bellamy. You are just puppets in the grand scheme of everything. And that is what you will die as."

A gas was suddenly released into the room from a hole in the ceiling as kerosene began to leak out from vents on the floor.

"Sons of Dragon, you two will suffer miserable deaths."

The two boys turned to each other with mixed looks of awe, horror, fear and sadness as the liquid pooled around their feet and the gas surrounded their heads.

"Brothers?" Luffy said with a choked, tearful voice.

"I guess so…whatever happened, I'm sorry." Bellamy rasped as tears fell down his face. He knew Doflamingo was a sick fuck, but to seriously make the two suffer in such a way…

Luffy screamed as flames burst out all over the room, scorching his skin. Bellamy yelped and slipped, falling backwards and then screeching in pain as the fire began to consume his clothes. Luffy jumped over the table separating them and quickly pulled the other up before yanking his hand to the door on the other side of the room.

"That door will lead us to the back! It circles around back to the front door again!" Bellamy yelled and Luffy nodded as he began to slam himself against it which he knew he shouldn't be doing considering all of his injuries. Bellamy was violently coughing next to him as the heat began to become unbearable to the two teens.

When the door opened, they bolted. However, they were horrified to learn that the whole house was on fire. It looked as though this back area had been on fire for at least ten minutes. And worse, there was a closed and locked door at the end of the hall that both injured boys would somehow have to open.

Bellamy suddenly shoved Luffy forward, forcing the boy to the ground. Luffy was about to yell at him when he was cut off by an awful scream of pure pain. He turned around with terrified eyes, which only widened at the sight of the boy who was supposedly his brother.

The hall ceiling behind them had collapsed, and Bellamy had saved him while he himself had gotten crushed.

Luffy stared out at the scene in horror. Furniture from the floor above was burning or falling from the second floor as the ceiling lay on Bellamy, who was unable to move.

Snapping out of his reverie, Luffy scrambled forward on his hands and knees then stood and tried to lift the ceiling off of the teen. He grunted, putting his hands underneath it and ignoring the burn of his muscles and the flame of the fire that was slowly creeping closer as he tried to lift it off of the boy. He was at it for at least five minutes and by the end, tears of frustration leaked from his eyes. His strength was already quickly dissipating, he could barely tell left from right, and his ears were ringing.

He couldn't do anymore to save him.

A hand grabbed at his shorts and he looked down, collapsing to his knees again when he saw the other boy's weak look that was begging him to come closer.

"Bellamy…I'll get you out of here, I…promise! I-I have my…phone! I can call-"

Bellamy grabbed Luffy's wrist as it reached for his pocket.

"No…"

"But Bellamy! We…have to…get out of here! I…have to-"

"It's alright, Luffy…" Luffy stared and went silent as the other began to speak, trying to hear him over the crackling of the flames, the harshness of his own breath, and the sound of falling walls and furniture. "This way, I can be free, you know?...No more Doflamingo…no more twisted…second personality…I can be me…I don't know what I have…done to you…but…whatever it was…I'm truly sorry…I never meant any of it!" Bellamy stressed as his voice became choked by sobs as tears streamed down his face. Luffy shook his head violently.

"I always thought ever since that day in the bushes that something was wrong. I didn't learn until today…I'm so sorry about everything that happened! If I had tried to help-"

"It's not your fault…Nah, Luffy…even after everything…I'm…really happy…yah know…I know I…can't go on…but I hope…you can get out…and I don't know if…it's possible for you…to forgive me…but I have to say…that even though _I_ barely…know you…my brother…I love you…and I'm sorry…so sorry…" Bellamy's grip was weakening and Luffy had to hold onto his hand, allowing his own tears to fall at an even pace.

"I can't forgive you." Luffy began and Bellamy looked resigned and accepting. "It wasn't you and it's all in the past anyway." The blonds eyes widened in shock as he looked up at the sobbing raven haired boy. "You didn't even know! You're not at fault! So don't you _dare_ try to apologize to me! _You_ are my brother, not that twisted fuck up inside of you, and I will _always_ love my brothers!"

Bellamy smiled widely at him and, for the first time in his life, gave a real laugh. For the first time he could remember, he felt truly happy and _alive_. It wasn't maniacal, evil, or full of ill content. For the first time in his life, he was truly happy, truly living, even if it was just for a few moments.

"Thank you…"

Bellamy's hand fell limp and his eyes grew dull as the last tears fell down his face. His chest stopped moving in painful gasps and stilled. If it wasn't for the fire and remainders of tears, it looked like he had fallen asleep with a smile.

Luffy stared for a few seconds before wiping away the last of his tears. He then stood shakily and turned to the door. Screaming, he ran at it and hit it full force with his body. He would get out, or at least die trying.

Luffy coughed, vision quickly becoming blurrier, as he tried to open the door. The blood was pouring down at a fast pace now. If he did get out, he would probably die of blood loss. Or he could even die of blood loss right there and then.

The thought of dying like that motivated him to fight harder. He slammed his body against the door at least twenty times, his blood pouring out faster as a result, before it opened and he stumbled out, covered in burn marks from the fire devouring the wooden surface. He shoved himself off of the wall and began running down the now painfully long hallway for the exit, but then part of the balcony above him collapsed.

Luffy fell back in shock and made to get up, but before he could the ceiling collapsed again.

Pain filled all of his senses and he wondered who was making that awful screaming sound. They sounded like they were in a lot of pain. When he realized it was himself, he looked down and saw that both of his legs were crushed, maybe even torn off, along with some of his ribs, under the burning wood as the fire consumed everything around him.

Luffy stared. There was no way out of this. He could call 911, but he bet one of the neighbors did that since the house was lit up like a Christmas tree. And he didn't know if he would make it out of this – no, he _wasn't_ going to be able to get out of this. Bellamy and him just seemed to have shitty luck…his brother…He left his younger brothers on a bad note.

Shakily, while trying not to breathe in the fumes that had already poisoned him and were slowly killing him, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled the phone out, pressing one of the speed dial numbers. It didn't matter who at this point, both would listen.

Luffy couldn't really hear it ring, but he could hear the voice mail and knew immediately it was Ace's phone. Luffy swallowed the sadness. They never ignored his calls. He smiled sadly, eyes clenching shut as tears formed in his eyes. He really screwed up this time.

As pieces of the house collapsed in on itself, as the fire grew while cracking sounds echoed through the poorly treated yet luxurious home, Luffy poured his heart out into that one phone call. He knew he wasn't going to get out of this. His vision blurred and by the end he was wheezing and crying as his skin burned and melted painfully on his form. He just hoped they didn't notice, but he knew they would.

(And for some reason, in the deepest reaches of his mind, through it all, he felt this had happened before in another world, another life, the words he spoke, and they echoed in his head like a bell in another voice that just made him want to cry even more.)

He didn't know if he hung up but his weak, shaking hands couldn't hold on anymore and oxygen was hard to get into his lungs. The phone fell to the ground with a dull thud, hot because of the surrounding flames, as Luffy stared at the burning walls holding him in with his blurred vision. His legs hurt awfully, but at the same time it was becoming numb. The tears were streaming down his face right now, but it wasn't that he regretted his death. No, it wasn't that…

He smiled as he realized everyone else would be safe. As his world began to turn white, the ringing in his ears grew unbearable while sound grew distant and nonexistent, and he felt everything begin to stop – the pain in his chest from the gunshot and stab wound disappeared and the burning of his crushed legs vanished. He could hear faint, heavy footsteps and looked up, seeing a figure walking out of the light. It was familiar.

Eyes widened in understanding, he raised his trembling hand out to his grandpa, the smile on his face growing.

_"You've done good Luffy. I'm proud of you."_

The last people he thought about were his younger brothers, Ace and Sabo. The faces of his friends and parents flashed through his mind and made more tears fall, but theirs were the last ones he saw, the ones that made him choke on a sob. He wished he could see their grinning faces again but was happy they could still smile. Words from their younger years, before everything turned to hell, echoed through his head.

_"Luffy, you're the best!"_

_"Thanks, Luffy!"_

_"I love you, Luffy!"_

His hand closed around the larger one and was held in a tight grip. His eyes glazed over with tears and death as all oxygen left his lungs. Then, Luffy's arm fell with a dull thud as he took his last breath, a laughing sob, smiling as his eyes closed on the world and his body was eaten by the flames.

* * *

**(4) **It was late at night, hours after the fire. Only Rouge and Roger were home. Sabo and Ace were sleeping at a friends house and Luffy was…they didn't know where he was. Rouge knocked softly on Luffy's door but when she heard no answer, she quietly opened it. She thought Luffy was asleep but her heart sunk a little when he wasn't in bed. Sabo had called, saying their plans had fallen through and that he was likely out God-only-knows-where and that he didn't know if he would be back for his cake that night. He said that both of them probably wouldn't return that night too. Not having her sons home with such a bad atmosphere made her wonder where things began to go wrong.

She stepped in further and felt that something was off. She looked around at the room and noticed it was clean, for some reason. No clothes were on the floor, it looked like he had vacuumed and dusted, and his desk and bureau were clean. His closet was also closed and nothing stuck out from under the crack of the door as was normally the case.

It sent an instant panic straight to her stomach.

"Is he in here?" She turned around and shook her head solemnly at her husband. Roger sighed and stepped in, taking in the change and feeling the same panic Rouge felt.

The two of them had grown worried over their oldest son over the past few years, but it had increased during the past few months. He had been acting strange – canceling plans last minute, disappearing for hours, even locking himself in his room and claiming he didn't want to talk to anyone which was very un-Luffy like. He always wanted to talk or play with someone.

Now neither knew where he was and they could only hope he was safe.

"I wish we knew what was happening," Rouge said sadly. Roger made no sound but walked over and hugged her. She hugged him back as the two stood in his room.

"What's that?" Roger asked. The two released each other and walked over to Luffy's desk, where there was a small stack of papers sitting under his straw hat. That immediately struck a cord in them, since Luffy never left the house without it. It was all in Luffy's sloppy handwriting and was addressed to the two of them – it seemed he knew they would be the first to find it.

They both read the letter with growing horror as he described what was happening – Bellamy's sick obsession with him, the rape and the fights, the threats, how he couldn't fight guns with fists and, the last part, that today he would end the fight no matter what, followed by his words of thanks and that he could never love anyone as much as he loved his family and friends, saying that Roger and Rouge would always be his mother and father.

And then when they found Garp's letter too, the pits in their stomachs deepened.

Rouge began to cry as Roger stared at the letter as his hands shook, pale, fearing for what his most reckless child would do.

Suddenly, their doorbell rang. It sent a bad feeling down both of their spines.

Roger helped Rouge stand and slowly, the two made their way downstairs. Through the glass panels on the doors and the windows, they could see the red and blue lights of a police car.

Despite his fear, Roger opened the door. There stood two police officers, a man with gray hair and two cigars in his mouth next to a woman with short blue hair and glasses. Both had looks of sorrow on their faces.

"Mister and Missus Gol?" The man said, and Roger nodded. "I'm very sorry to interrupt, but we have bad news."

Not many minutes later, Rouge had collapsed to her knees crying while Roger stood silently in the doorway, his hand over his eyes. Neither officer said anything as the parents took everything in.

Drops of rain began to fall from the sky and soon it pounded against the earth relentlessly, as though the skies were crying. It drowned out the distraught mother's wails while, not many miles away, two body bags were being loaded into ambulances while the surrounding crowd stared in a stunned silence.

* * *

"He really said that?" Marco asked while flipping through the channels on Law's TV. They were in the basement while Robin had her friends upstairs. Ace and Sabo were sitting on the couch next to him while everyone else sat on the floor or chairs in the living room. Ace's phone was off on the table in front of him, dead from playing games like Temple Run and Angrybirds, while Sabo's was in his pocket, nearing it's last bar.

"Yeah. It's like he doesn't trust us anymore," Ace mumbled, taking a large sip of his soda while staring at the passing channels.

"I don't think so."

They all looked at Thatch, who was always surprisingly perceptive with these manners, to see him staring at Ace and Sabo.

"He doesn't want to tell you now right? But he said he would tell you later, after everything is over. It sounds like what he's gotten in to is just something he feels like he can't protect you from and he will when he has finally kicked the crap out of whoever put him into such a dangerous situation."

"Nami's been complaining about how he hasn't talked to any of them about it either. You guys aren't the only ones left in the dark," Kidd grumbled as he stuck his hand into the bowl of buttery popcorn, taking a handful and shoving it into his mouth.

Ace was about to reply when he got a horrible sinking feeling in his gut. He looked at Sabo to see him looking much the same way.

"Are you guys all right?" Law asked. It was rare for the brothers to make such a face and for both of them to make it at once…needless to say all four of them were concerned.

"I have a really bad feeling…"

"…something happened that can't be fixed."

They heard a loud commotion upstairs before a bunch of people ran downstairs. They all looked at the doorway and both Ace and Sabo felt their heart's drop. Nami, Usopp and Robin were crying while Zoro and Sanji were abnormally pale. Nami grabbed the clicker out of Marco's hand and turned it to the news.

All hearts stopped upon seeing Luffy's face on TV along with Bellamy's.

_"-neighbor called 911 upon seeing the house burst into flames. According to the neighbor's, it had sounded like a fight had been happening and there were several gunshots. The last two people seen walking into the house were Gol D. Luffy and Donquixote Bellamy. The fire was quickly put out and two bodies have been found, but they are currently unidentifiable. However, it is presumed they belong to the two young teens -"_

Nami shakily muted the TV while everyone took in what they had just heard. They all looked over at Ace and Sabo, who were both staring blankly at the TV. One of their phones rang and it snapped Sabo out of his shock. With trembling hands, he pulled it out of his pocket while he tried to remember how to answer the phone.

When he did he was met with sobbing.

"…Mom…it's not true, right?"

They heard more sobbing on the other side of the phone and after more words were spoken, that was when Sabo began to sob. Ace just stared blankly as his friends tried to get him to snap back to reality.

* * *

The four family members were all at the police station, quiet and solemn. Rouge sat on one of the chairs, her face buried in her hands as she let her thoughts roll around in her head at a fast pace. Roger was walking back and forth across the floor, pacing, unnerved and anxious, angered and horribly depressed all at once. Sabo sat in a chair next to his mother, his arms crossed over his chest tightly as he gulped harshly, trying not to cry again. Ace stood silently by the large window, staring out at the wet lands as the rain pounded on the ground in an uneven rhythm. His eyes were blank as he stared out. The desk attendant was looking between them all nervously, understanding why they acted in such a way but unsure of how to help them.

A door down the hall suddenly opened and from it, the officer named Smoker walked out, with the blue haired woman named Tashigi at his side. He kept his expression blank as he walked up to the family.

"We have gotten word from the DNA tests," He ventured cautiously. Roger stopped his pacing, Rouge looked up, and Sabo stared hesitantly at them, his arms relaxing but his form trembling from wound up nerves. Ace merely turned his head a little to glance at them. Smoker took a deep breath. "The DNA results matched. I'm very sorry, but your son perished in the fire."

"No," Sabo glanced over at Ace worriedly, being the only one who heard the whisper. His mother was sobbing again and so was Roger. Sabo's own tears trailed his cheeks, but he was more worried about Ace. He hadn't shed a single tear yet. "I won't believe that!" He shouted before sprinting and running out the door.

"Ace!" Sabo shouted as he got to his feet and quickly darted after his brother. Roger stared after them, moving to go and follow them, when Smoker placed a hand on his shoulder and gestured to his wife. Roger got the message and hugged her once more as Smoker went after the brothers, leaving Tashigi and the desk attendant standing there without a clue as what to do.

Ace wasn't looking where he was running - he was just running. His heart was breaking, shattering. He couldn't believe he was dead - not his big brother, not Luffy.

He tripped over something that was hidden by the rain and gave a yelp as he fell into a puddle, now covered in it's water. He laid there for a moment before sitting up, his body finally beginning to shake. He turned around when he heard footsteps and saw Sabo standing there with an anguished look on his face, biting his lip.

"Ace," He said with a shaky voice, trying to hold back his own tears so the other could cry. But then Ace stood and stormed over to the other and pulled him into a tight hug. Sabo's eyes finally let his tears out once more as he clutched back onto his brother, sobbing into his shoulder. Ace allowed his own tears to fall silently, under the cover of the rain, as both he and his brother shook in place. He looked up when he heard more footsteps and saw Smoker standing there, but the man just stepped under an overhanging and lit two cigars, putting them in his mouth and staring up at the sky, allowing the brothers to have their moment.

Ace just held his brother tighter and buried his face into the blonds shoulder, trying not to scream.

* * *

**AN: I cried while writing this. And then while looking for good music and rereading it. UGH! I know you guys were expecting sadness, but I think I went a little too extremely sad with this one... So, I bet none of you were expecting Luffy and Bellamy's relationship. Bellamy was conceived before Luffy while Dragon was on an undercover mission, but Luffy was born prematurely (a few months, actually). The only reason Doflamingo tortured Bellamy so much was because of his blood.**

**The story is not over yet though. We still have maybe around 3 chapters to go, so who knows what may happen?**

**jam klaoo: I'm happy you liked those scenes. I wanted to put in lots of fluff before...this...**

**02FireRains: I'm very glad you liked the fluff! I love writing fluff, and even this which broke my heart.**

**Aslightlybadasshuman: Thank you :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter too...can I say that about such a sad chapter though?...hmm...**

**FlightWulf: Haha, thank you very much! It's strange realizing that its nearing the end now... I hope there was enough angst for you. It's not over yet though! Have a good trip (if that's what you're doing) and I hope you enjoy this when you get to read it! :)**

**shadowmarialove: Last chapter was basically all of Luffy's happy moments. I wanted him to have some happy times before all of this happened.**

**I feel like I'm forgetting ****something important to say...I'll just say it next chapter. Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Warnings: Angst, hurt/comfort, fluff**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, not me.**

**Suggested Music:**

******(1) Words - Skylar Grey; One Piece Movie 5 Ost Maya's Strong Thoughts**

**(2) What We Will Never Know - Innerpartysystem**

* * *

**Aftermath**

**(1) **It was the second day since Luffy's death. The house was abnormally quiet, once in a while broken by the sound of crying. None of them had smiled since his death was confirmed and they walked around lifelessly.

Ace was currently on the back porch, staring down at Sunny. Luffy had apparently loved the bear but had given it to him and Sabo when they were fighting over Merry as little kids. Ace's eyes turned watery as he held the bear close to his chest, curling in on himself on the stairs.

Slow footsteps approached him from behind. He did not look up as his father sat down next to him. Roger's eyes were trained ahead at the forest that Luffy had loved despite the many wolf attacks he had had in there.

"I said horrible things to him," Ace said, still in his curled up position on the stairs. Roger said nothing and only listened, allowing him to talk. "I even said something horrible about how you should have given him to an orphanage. How could I have said that? I wish…I wish I could just go back in time and apologize. It's…it's not fair. I don't know if he knows how much I love him. All of those words…made it seem like I hate him," The pitch of his voice rose and it cracked as he tried to hold back his tears, the palms of his hands digging into his eyes to stop the flow of water. It was silent for a few minutes, unbearable for Ace, until Roger spoke slowly.

"I think he knew how much you loved him. He would not have pushed you away from him if he didn't know. He loved the both of you with all of his heart. He was trying to protect you, even if it made you two angry. And even if you said those words, I doubt he could ever hate you. You're his baby brother – he loved you from the beginning to the end. Nothing could ever change that," Roger said softly, carefully putting his arm around his son's shoulders and pulling him in for a hug. He rubbed his arm comfortingly as the young teen allowed himself to sob. "You may not be able to apologize, but I'm sure that wherever he is now, he will hear you and forgive you. He probably already has forgiven you."

Roger allowed Ace to sob on him for hours, allowing his own tears to fall as well, as they thought of their lost loved one.

* * *

Sabo held Merry loosely in his hands as he sat on Luffy's bed. It was strange, seeing his room so clean. To think he would never be able to make it messy again made him gulp painfully. He clutched Merry tighter in his hands, looking down at the bed covers.

"Why didn't you tell us?" He whispered to himself, his voice shaking with emotion.

"I ask myself the same thing," He looked up at the sound of his mother's voice. She stood, leaning on the doorway, a weary smile on her face and her eyes and cheeks red and puffy.

"Mom," He said quietly as she walked over and sat with him on the bed. She stared out one of the windows of the bedroom solemnly as she began to speak again.

"I don't completely understand, but maybe…it was just that instinct to protect his family, to protect us. I wish that he had told us, but, he succeeded in his endeavors, and for that I will always be proud of him. I have always been proud of him, proud of all three of you."

Sabo looked down, gulping again at his mother's words.

"But Ace and I…we were horrible to him the last time we saw him. And it was his, his birthday, of all days, to do those horrible things…" Sabo croaked. Rouge gave him a faint smile and pulled him into a hug.

"But despite it all, you still loved him and he still loved you. I know that he forgave you – he loves you two to much to leave you with such bitter feelings."

Sabo sobbed as Rouge silently cried, both trailing off into silence and thinking of Luffy.

* * *

Rouge sat in the kitchen at three in the morning, making herself a small cup of tea. She stood by the fridge as the water heated up, looking at the wide array of photos of her sons and then the picture that Luffy had drawn as a child, shortly after Ace and Sabo had been born. Thinking back on little Luffy was painful and joyful for her. She could remember his first words so easily, as if it was yesterday…

_"C'mon, Luffy, can you say Mama?" Rouge asked, sitting in front of her son. Luffy smiled up at her and giggled before crawling into her lap. He cooed and babbled as he clutched onto her shirt. She smiled down at him and kissed his forehead before standing and walking into the kitchen._

_She smiled when she saw that Roger was standing there, cooking pasta for the two of them. Roger looked up and grinned, holding his arm out for a hug. She walked over to him and relaxed in the embrace._

_"Has he said anything yet?" Roger asked, staring down at his son who was sucking on Roger's thumb from his hand on Rouge's shoulder. Rouge shook her head._

_"Not yet, but I'm sure he'll say something soon."_

_"Ma…" They both looked down at the drooling, smiling baby, holding his hands up to them. "Pa…Mama…Papa…" He cooed, his smile widening as his parents began to gush over him._

All of the fond memories of her baby made her want to collapse to the floor and sob. She would always have those memories, but she could never make any new ones with him, her sweet and loving boy…

Roger suddenly hugged her from behind.

"He may be gone, but he'll always be in our hearts," He said with a smile despite his watery eyes. Rouge nodded with her face contorted in pain before crying softly again for her lost baby boy.

* * *

They were all lost.

They had not expected Luffy to have disappeared in such a way, to have been ripped from their hearts so cruelly. Their best friend, the boy who made them all feel better every time he smiled, was gone.

Nami had the box of tangerines she was planning on giving him on the table in front of them. They were all in Franky's factory, sitting there quietly. Their eyes were all red – Chopper was still sniffling and Franky and Usopp were still crying. Nami and Robin were leaning into each other, both exhausted from sobbing. Usopp was hiding behind his hood while Zoro and Sanji, for once, were not fighting. Brook sat quietly, not knowing what to do with himself.

They then remembered.

Luffy wouldn't want them to be sad – they all knew that – but none of them knew what to do to not be sad.

Brook knew something they could all be sad and happy about at once.

Everyone looked up, startled by the violin playing.

"Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,

Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,

Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,

Yo-hohoho, Yohohohoo,

Going to deliver Binks' Sake!

Following the sea breeze! Riding on the waves!

Far across the salty depths! The merry evening sun!

The birds sing as they draw circles in the sky!"

They all sang the song through their tears, shaky smiles on their faces, as they imagined Luffy sitting there with them, singing the song with his whole heart.

* * *

To Ace and Sabo, the funeral seemed surreal. All of it seemed out of place. So many people had come and many people cried. Then Luffy's idol, Shanks, placed the strawhat on the grave, told Luffy he earned it, crying as he did so.

Mom was crying the whole time and even their dad cried, something he never did. The two twins had gotten many hugs and apologies, but that wasn't what they wanted.

All of Luffy's friends were crying. Nami was crying into Sanji's shoulder as the blond rubbed a hand up and down her back, his own eyes and cheeks wet with tears. Robin sat silently with wet eyes next to Zoro and the two leaned into each other, trying not to burst into sobs. Usopp sat between both pairs, next to Zoro and Sanji, and the three of them sat as close as possible as Usopp quietly cried. In the distance at the burial, they saw three strange figures, but could hear loud crying coming from them all. And their own friends, who all looked up to Luffy like a big brother, cried with them at the funeral.

They wanted their big brother back.

They walked into their house quietly, softly closing the door behind them, and sat on the couch. They had left the after funeral party before their parents had, unable to take all of the words from people who had cared for Luffy. It made them extremely happy to know how much he was cared for but also it broke them knowing he would never know how much he was cared for, knowing they could never see him again.

Ace took out his phone and stared at his background – a picture of him, Sabo and Luffy from a recent weekend when he took them to the beach, hours away, to show them it's beauty like Shanks did for him only weeks before. It was one of the first times in months he hadn't ditched them.

Knowing now why he had ditched them so many times, Ace wished he could take back all of those words he yelled at his brother that day at the river.

His eyes strayed down to the missed calls and when he opened it, his eyes widened. He lightly tugged on Sabo's shirt and his twin looked over, gaping slightly at the name on the missed calls list.

Luffy.

They looked at each other and nodded. Ace put his phone on its highest volume and went to the voicemail, playing the only one in the phones memory.

They could hear crackling in the background and someone heavily breathing.

"Yo,_ Ace, Sabo…first I hafta say sorry…I do trust you guys and that's why…I couldn't tell you…didn't want you to get hurt…I'd trust you to be reckless like me…"_

They listened to their brother cough painfully and wheeze. There was a weak chuckle that had Ace's grip on the phone tighten and Sabo looked down.

_"I'm just happy you're safe…I know this is breaking our promise, but…I don't have any regrets…about how I lived…"_

There was a crash and a moan of pain followed that brought tears to both eyes as their brother's breathing became more strained.

_"Can you guys…tell the others that I know…they can do it…"_

The coughing became more frequent and both were sure they heard a sob.

_"I'm really…gonna miss you guys…but I know you guys…you two can do it…I know you can accomplish your dreams…I just wish I could see it…"_

There was a crash again and they thought they heard a whimper of pain. Their hearts continued to break.

_"I don't know if you can still hear me…but, pass on these words…Mom and Dad…everyone…and you two…even after lying to you guys…you didn't give up on me…thank you for loving me!"_

They heard loud sobbing and a thud, a whisper from their brother, before his quieted breathing stilled, followed by a loud crackling from fire.

Ace felt like he was one shitty brother, remembering the last time he talked with his brother, and Sabo felt much the same for doing little to stop it and silently agreeing with Ace.

And even after what was said, Luffy still held unbreakable trust in them.

The guilt was overwhelming.

By that point, Ace was trying to hold back tears while Sabo held his face in his hands.

"Sabo?" He looked at Ace and saw his pained expression. "Do you think it's bad to cry?"

Sabo pulled his twin into a hug and for the next few hours, the two sat there crying, wishing they could have apologized to their brother, wishing they could have told him "I love you" one last time, wishing he knew that they had forgiven him for breaking their promise.

(The_ day of Garp's funeral.)_

_Luffy, Ace and Sabo were alone in the forest by the river. Their family was at home but too them, it was too suffocating – full of grief. They were sad too but they couldn't take such a large amount of it at a young age. It only brought them more suffering._

_Luffy was looking down at a book grandpa had gotten him, author's signature and all, with a note from him inside, telling him how proud he was of Luffy and that he would become a fine young man someday. He ran his fingers over the words and felt unshed tears in his eyes. He clenched his eyes tightly and took a deep breath before opening his eyes. _

_"Luffy?"_

_He looked up at his brothers. They were looking at him questioningly with red, swollen eyes. Luffy motioned for them to sit next to him and he put his arms around each of their shoulders. He looked out at the river and then up as the migrating seagulls made their strange sounds above._

_"You won't die, right, Luffy?" Ace had asked the question, but he knew both brothers were asking him. They probably felt guilty – the three of them had been there when he died, unable to help him. Luffy smacked them both on the head – like their grandfather would've – and pulled them closer._

_"Don't be stupid. I can't leave you two weaklings alone. I promise you, I won't die. But I want you guys to promise me something, as well," Both looked up at him and he smiled down at them. "Don't regret anything." The two nodded and hugged him tight. Luffy allowed his brothers to cry into his chest for the rest of the day. _

* * *

**(2) **Nami gently rolled the tangerine in her hands from one hand to the next, absentmindedly staring down at the box filled to the rim below. It had taken her years to learn how to grow them as perfect as Bellmere did. Luffy always loved being able to eat her tangerines, and she was going to give him a huge box of them too...

But now she couldn't give them to him anymore.

There were footsteps on the grass behind her and they stopped next to her. Whoever it was sat down next to her, being just as quiet as her.

"It's so strange not being able to hear him laugh. Now I only have Chopper to tell my stories too..."

Nami glanced over at Usopp. He was playing with the rubber band of his slingshot, staring into nothingness much like she was.

"It's gonna be very different without him around...but, he wouldn't want us to wallow like this," Usopp said, turning sad yet determined eyes to her. "We have to keep on living, and we have to do it right."

Usopp's words moved Nami. Luffy...he wouldn't like her moping, would he? She smiled at the long nosed boy and nodded. "You're right Usopp. We have to keep living." She smiled at the other and he gave her a grin. She handed him a tangerine as she peeled her own and they both ate the sweet fruit together, for Luffy, in the light of the setting sun.

* * *

Sanji stared down at the cutting board he used so often to make his delicious meals. It was strange, having no one yelling to be fed every hour of the day. He never thought this would happen. He never though he would miss that meat-loving idiot so damn much.

He put his knife down, unable to bring himself to make the meal. He didn't feel like cooking, which was a strange feeling to him. But he didn't know what to do about it. What are you supposed to do when one of your best friend's die?

"Sanji," The blond turned around and saw Brook standing there, his violin in one hand as he stared worriedly at the youth. "Would you like to hear a song?"

Sanji didn't reply except for a blink. Brook took that as his cue and began to play. It was one of those songs he had made especially for Luffy, because Luffy loved any and all music he came up with.

It was uplifting. It was one of those songs that always made them more determined.

Sanji gulped, understanding the message, and turned back to the meal, for the first time in days bringing himself to begin to prepare a meal.

* * *

Robin was looking at some of her worn out pirate books that Luffy would often read. For a boy that hated reading, they were the only books that he had enjoyed. Sometimes she would read books out loud to him and Chopper, and at those times, he was so at peace and happy that he didn't even mind that it was a book she was reading from.

"He really did love all things having to do with pirates," She said with a sad smile on her face as she put the books back, slowly and carefully.

"He probably would've been a pirate if we lived in such an age," Franky replied, polishing some of his pirate models and ship-in-a-bottle's. "Can't tell you how awed he was whenever I made some new pirate ships. Especially the Merry-Go and the Thousand Sunny," Franky nodded his head in the direction of his two most sparkling ships with a smile on his face. "He really liked those two."

Robin chuckled. "Well, you did make him his own pirate flag for the ships with Usopp."

Franky laughed. "Of course I did. He's SUPER and deserves a flag for loving my ships so much," Franky grinned fondly, staring at the ships. "I really am gonna miss him."

Robin gave another sad smile and nodded in agreement, her eyes slightly watery. "We all will."

* * *

Chopper was staring up at the Cherry Blossom tree he had often napped under with Luffy and Zoro. It's petals were a beautiful pink this year. He wished Luffy could've seen it more than once.

"Luffy...I miss you," Chopper mumbled as he tried to wipe away his tears. When a hand landed on his head, he jolted and looked up, only to see concerned green eyes and a head of green hair. "Zoro..."

The teen sat down next to the blue nosed reindeer and took out one of his swords, beginning to clean it.

"I miss him too," Chopper looked at him with a sad look but Zoro gave a soft smile. "He'd be really mad if we stayed upset about it though. He always did everything in his power to make us happy, up to the very end..."

"He may not have wanted to be a hero," Chopper began as he picked up one of the fallen flowers and held it delicately in his hands. "But he's my hero."

Zoro gave him a smile and a small chuckle. "Mine too, Chopper. Mine too." Zoro looked up at the tree and gave it a smile, pausing in his sword-cleaning to close his eyes. "Thanks for everything, Luffy," He whispered as the wind blew, carrying his words away and showering the two in a bath of soft pink petals.

* * *

Lucci pet his bird Hattori gently on the head as the bird rested on his shoulder. He was resting in the gym, sitting in the window and looking out at the dark night sky, light only by the moon and stars.

"Lucci," He turned his head slightly and stared at the long nosed teen standing near him. The lights of the gym were off and both were bathed in the moon's soft white glow. He looked slightly concerned as he stared at Lucci. "It's been a while since you sparred with anyone. When are you gonna spar again?"

Lucci turned back to the window, face pensive.

"You haven't even sparred with me or Kalifa or Jyabura...we're worried about you Lucci."

"You guys don't have to worry, Kaku," The addressed looked up at Lucci, who was still facing away from him. "I will fight again, no doubt. Especially with you guys. But, I don't think I'll find someone else with a fire like his for a long time."

Kaku blinked at him, moving closer.

"This isn't like you, Lucci. Luffy wouldn't be happy about you not sparring either, you know."

"I know. Most things I did frustrated him though, right?"

Kaku's eyes widened before he gave a soft chuckle.

"You're so strange sometimes, Lucci. Guess we were worried over nothing, huh?"

Lucci just gave a small smile as Hattori cooed from his shoulder, agreeing with Kaku.

* * *

Shanks stared down at the grave with sad eyes and a smile. It hadn't been very long, just a few weeks, but it felt so strange, being unable to talk to the younger, the boy who had looked up to him with awe. He hadn't thought that missing someone would hurt so much. Yet, despite the pain of missing him, he knew that he couldn't cry anymore. He had already shed tears for the boy who, when they were younger, always tried so hard not to cry. He closed his eyes. He wished he could've told the boy that it was okay to cry.

He probably already knew that now though. Shanks had cried, but he couldn't do so forever. Luffy wouldn't have been happy if he did that. He would've wanted Shanks to live life to the fullest. Shanks opened his eyes again and now his smile reached his eyes.

"Luffy, I'm going out to sea, just as I told you I would. Ben, Yasopp, and Roo are coming as well. We're all gonna go have some adventures. And when we next see you, we'll tell you all about them. Wait for us, Luffy. You'll definitely see us again someday." He took out a bottle of the same alcohol he had introduced Luffy to on that beach weeks ago. It had been his first drink, and after he got over the bitter taste, he seemed to enjoy it. He took off the cap and dumped it over the grave, making sure to get the old hat in the process. "You said you liked this drink Luffy. I'll come and have it again with you someday."

Shanks grinned down at the grave and put down the empty bottle next to the grave. "I'll see you later, Luffy," He left with a wave, no backwards glance, as he walked over to his sister Makino. She gave him a soft smile and a small wave at the grave and then the two left, shoulder to shoulder, moving on as the boy would have wished for them to do.

* * *

Rouge ran her fingers over the picture of a one year old Luffy, smiling up at the camera and reaching out. She gave a soft smile as her eyes ran over all of the pictures of the two pages of the album. She could remember when he was still a baby, when he would call for her and Roger when he needed help. She wished that he had done so in his later years...

"Are you alright, Rouge?"

She looked up and gave a slightly wider smile. "Rayleigh."

He smiled and sat down next to her, looking at the pictures on the page. "He sure was a cute baby," He said with a grin, making her laugh. It was silent for a few moments before he spoke again. "How are you holding up?"

She gave a sad smile. "It's been hard. I thought when he would be leaving, it would be off to college or some other place reachable. Not like this..."

"I thought so too. At least this way, he no longer has to suffer."

Rouge nodded, her smile becoming more relieved than sad.

"I'm sad that he's gone, but...I'm not going to cry anymore. He hated it when I cried. He would do anything to make me laugh, and he always succeeded. He can't anymore, but, I'll smile for him. And I know Roger will too. He's working to distract himself, but even he knows that smiling is all he can do now. I'm sure we'll be alright."

Rayleigh gave her a smile and looked down at the pictures with her.

"That boy did love to smile a lot. I'm sure he's happy with your choice.

* * *

"Sabo! Where are you? Sabo!"

"Sabo-ya? Are you here?"

"Up here."

The red head and the raven haired boy both looked up, seeing the boy they were looking for in a tree. The two quickly climbed up themselves, sitting on branches near the blond.

"This was the tree you guys always used to race up and down, right?" Kid asked. The blond nodded with a sigh and a sad smile.

"Yeah. Me, Ace and Luffy would always climb up this tree. No matter how fast Ace and I climbed, we never could beat Luffy. He was like a monkey when it came to tree climbing."

"Didn't Luffy-ya always beat you guys at anything he did?"

Sabo gave a soft laugh. "He said it was the big brother's job to be stronger, so he strove to beat us at everything. Not that it was hard for him to do."

Kid looked up at the sun high in the sky. "You really did have a good older brother."

Sabo blinked, his face blank, as he turned his head skyward, closing his eyes. A small smile grace his features. "We really did."

"That's why, Sabo-ya, we're here to make you stop sulking."

"Who said I'm sulking?" Sabo looked at his friend, glowering slightly. Law raised an eyebrow while Kid scoffed.

"Your Mom called us and asked us all to come over," Law said. Sabo blinked before laughing.

"That's just like Mom. She would do that to Luffy, too, from time to time...he probably wouldn't be happy right now, would he?"

"Not with how you two idiots keep sulking," Kid said, gaining the blonds attention. "He didn't die for that, you know. He died for you two to be happy, so that's what you two should be. Don't let his sacrifice go in vain." Sabo's eyes widened. He wasn't shocked - this was Kid, king of the blunt. It was that the words struck home. He grinned and then punched Kid's shoulder, making the red head grin. "That's more like it."

"Thanks, Law, Kid. Should we go find Ace?"

"Nah, Marco-ya and Thatch-ya are with him right now. Best to leave them to him."

* * *

"Ace, wait up!" Thatch yelled as he and Marco sprinted after their friend, who was walking ahead of them on the path they always took when walking in the woods. Ace didn't stop, but he slowed, allowing them to catch up to him. "Mah, Ace, what's with the frown. You gotta smile!" Thatch said, putting his fingers at the corners of Ace's mouth and trying to make him smile. Ace merely smacked the hands away, earning a whine from Thatch. Marco sighed as they continued walking.

"How long are you gonna act like this, yoi?"

"I don't know."

"Ace, you can't do this forever," Thatch said, brows furrowing in concern.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ace," Marco grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks, while Thatch got in front of him so he couldn't bolt. "It's been a few months now, yoi. You have to-"

"I have to what? Get over it? That's not happening, Marco!" Ace yelled, trying to pull away but failing when Thatch held him in place.

"That's not what we're trying to say, Ace," Thatch said, concern evident in his face.

"Getting over it is far from what we want you to do. We don't want you to forget about Luffy. But, he wouldn't be happy with how you're acting now. He wanted you two to have good lives and he paid a large price for it. What did he care most about? Your safety, your smile. You haven't genuinely smiled in a while Ace. He'd be really upset right now, yoi," Marco said, voice losing volume as he continued until he was talking softly, comfortingly. Thatch let go of Ace as he stared at the ground.

"Don't let what he did amount to nothing," Thatch said softly. Ace gulped inaudibly but then looked up, a smile on his face.

"He hated it when we cried or when we got hurt." Marco and Thatch smiled at him.

"He hated it when it happened to anyone, especially you and Sabo."

Ace's smile grew wider and his eyes seemed more alive now, the sadness once plaguing them slowly disappearing.

"There's the smile we've been missing!" Thatch exclaimed with a grin while Marco smiled next to him. Ace laughed sincerely, something that had been hard to come by in the past few months, and the two laughed out of relief.

They had their friend back, now.

* * *

**AN: So this is all in the days, weeks, and months after Luffy's death and how it affected them all. Some got over it easier than others, but it was generally hard for them all. I would've put in something about Bellamy's beloved but...he didn't have any... :( I'm sorry Bellamy!**

**Anyway, we still have a few chapters, including the epilogue, to go AND I am thinking about writing a bonus. It would be an alternative ending. Tell me if you guys are interested in that.**

**Aslightlybadasshuman: I looked up that song and when I heard it, I immediately understood what you meant. That song was so sad! I'm glad you liked the chapter though. I hope you liked this one too (I hope the music lasts this time though. I have trouble with timing.)**

**02FireRains: I'm happy the emotions were realistic (sorry you had to walk away from your computer though but I've done that too when the feels are just too much). I hope you like how this chapter came out, seeing their reactions and all.**

**0123: Luffy won't be coming back to life in this, but there is an epilogue and you've sparked my interest to write an alternative ending. Would you be interested in that?**

**shadowmarialove: Yes, they were half brothers. It was the sole reason Doflamingo hated Bellamy so much. You'll see what happened to the flashdrive next chapter. But, both of them are dead now. I'm really happy you liked the chapter.**

**jam klaoo: I'm sorry I made you cry :(. I felt really bad making that their last memory with Luffy but it had to be for him to decide to try and end it all. Luffy didn't receive the letter until the day of his death. I've heard that you can withhold mail and have it sent for a certain date, so that's what Garp did. I'm happy you liked Bellamy's last words - they made me cry a little while writing them. I'm glad that you liked it and we still have a few more chapters to go and maybe even a bonus if you guys like the idea. I didn't have trouble understanding you :)**

**WhiteSakura59: Sorry for making you cry :( . It was planned he would die from the beginning. Thank you!**

**When I was looking for music, I found some of the Ost's during Ace's death and I almost started sobbing. Right now I'm listening to Hachi's speech after he's shot by the stupid Tenryubito. UGH! THE FEELS! Anyway, tell me your thoughts on the bonus chapter. **

**Thank you very much for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think! :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Warnings: Violence, character death, fluff, angst**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, not me!**

* * *

**Justice**

He walked with slow, sure steps to the building ahead of him. He had been too late to save those two boys, the sons of Dragon. When he learned of what had happened to them and several other children by reading the flash drive, he felt disgusted.

But that didn't mean he couldn't serve out the justice now.

Still, he wished he could have done something more before everything went to hell. Memories of his beloved son flashed through his mind, reminding him of why he was there.

* * *

_"Come on Luffy, come to Daddy."_

_The baby gave a wide smile and a loud cry of joy as he reached out his small hands in a grabbing motion. Then, he pushed himself into a standing position. Roger grinned, holding his arms out more and calling his son. Luffy concentrated completely on the steps he took. They were slow, wobbly, but he did not fall. _

_Finally, he reached Roger. The man picked him up with a grin, praising the boy and giving him a kiss on the forehead. Luffy giggled and attempted to hug the man with his small arms. Roger hugged the boy back and then chuckled softly minutes later when he realized the boy had fallen asleep._

* * *

_"Dad! Dad! Look at this! Look!" _

_Roger looked down to see the paper his eight year old son was showing him. He grinned when he saw it was a test with a big, red A on it._

_"That's my boy! I knew you could do it!" Roger laughed, ruffling his son's hair fondly as the boy hugged him around the waist with a large smile on his face._

* * *

_Roger walked down the street from the movie theatre. He had just gone to see a new Disney movie with his son. The boy had loved it but fell asleep right after they got outside the theatre doors. Roger was now carrying the boy, smiling when the toddler buried his face deeper into his shoulder. _

* * *

_Luffy was asleep on the couch, snoring loudly. Ace and Sabo were asleep as well, leaning on the sixteen year old. Roger gave a soft chuckle at the scene and turned of the TV. He grabbed a blanket and covered the three boys with it. He moved to turn off the lights and was leaving for the kitchen when he heard a mumbled "Thank you." He looked up and saw Luffy giving him a tired smile before he fell asleep again, this time with soft snores. Roger smiled fondly and left the room to make dinner._

* * *

Now, no more memories could be made, all because of one man's hatred.

Donquixote Doflamingo's crimes had gone unpunished for far too long. It was time for him to face the consequences of human experimenting and murder.

It had taken him a while to find the man. Doflamingo had managed to get through at least five countries to escape the law at home. But now, after months, his group had been able to track him down.

And here he was, staring up at the large, elegant mansion before him.

He took deliberate steps, slowly speeding up as he approached the building. His footsteps echoed in the silence of the landscape. The flowerless bushes flanking the sides of the path were turning brown as the dead flower petals were stirred under his footsteps. The rust red sky behind him enhanced the ominous atmosphere as the large doors before him opened.

He narrowed his eyes as he walked up the stones steps, his own steps loud and pounding. He stepped into the doorway and saw the man he was hunting standing just yards away in his ridiculous pink feathered jacket, his eyes hidden behind the purple glass of his sunglasses.

"Well, well, I must say I wasn't expecting the head of the Oro Group to be here. I thought you would send someone else, like Rayleigh."

Roger glared ahead at the man, his eyes darkened with fury.

"He offered, but, I felt this was a matter I had to deal with myself. My father, my brother, and my nephews – one of which was my son. All are dead by your hands as well as countless others. I cannot change the past, but I can very well change the future."

Doflamingo merely smirked and held out an arm in a sign of invitation. "Be my guest."

Roger pulled a knife out from his sleeve and threw it at the other man who managed to pulled out a long staff and brought it up right as Roger reached him and brought down a long sword. The sound of metal on metal echoed throughout the large entrance of the mansion. They brought their weapons back and struck at each other again.

It went like this for what seemed like ages. Blood was shed from the sharp and unforgiving edge of the sword; bruises were dealt by the blunt edge of the staff; sweat trickled down foreheads and drenched fabric or fell in small drops to the floor. They moved in circles in the entrance, knocking over stray valuables, breaking mirrors, letting their red life liquid stain the white marble floor. The sound of ripping fabric would permeate the atmosphere every few seconds as their clothes were ripped in the course of the brawl. They would grunt when their weapons met and occasionally yell with frustration, one more than the other.

Both were skilled, but when one man got tired from the endless clash, it was clear who the winner was.

Roger blocked the swing of the staff with his forearm before kicking at the man in front of him in the gut. Doflamingo cursed and, while off guard, Roger knocked him to the ground. Doflamingo hit the floor with a loud smack, his head ringing from the impact. A foot slammed down onto his chest, making him cough violently, but the foot didn't move. Roger glared down at the other with contempt while Doflamingo smirked, eyeing the blade nearing his neck without fear.

"I guess this is my end. Hahaha. It doesn't matter. I've had a good run."

"I have one question for you." Through his broken purple sunglasses, he looked up at the black haired man. "There is no reason for anything you have done?"

Doflamingo smirked.

"Absolutely no reason."

With a simple movement of his arm, Roger ended the man's life.

* * *

_"Daddy? What's your job?"_

_Roger looked up, looking back at his five year old son Luffy who was staring up at him with curious eyes._

_"Why do you ask?"_

_"Because everyone's always saying how cool their daddy's and mommy's are because of their jobs. What's your job?"_

_Roger was silent in thought for a few moments. He wondered if this had to do with the fact he couldn't go in for career day. Well, he could, but he couldn't necessarily tell young children he killed people for a living. Granted, they were evil people, but it was still unacceptable and something he would never tell a child, especially his own._

_"I bring justice to bad people."_

_"Then why're you never home during the week? Can't you do that here?"_

_Roger chuckled and kneeled down to his son's level, running his hand through the boy's short, dark locks. "I serve this justice all over the world. Besides, the police can handle everything here."_

_Luffy stared at him blankly for a few seconds before smiling and hugging his dad tightly._

_"So cool! It's like you're a hero!"_

_Roger smiled down at his son. Even with his love for pirates, the boy still revered heroes. He couldn't really think of himself as a hero since he killed, but he would let it go for his son._

_"I guess I am." He hugged his son back, smiling wider when the boy laughed._

* * *

**We Will Meet Again**

The sound of waves lapping against wood penetrated his ears. He could hear seagulls crying far above. The bright sunlight assaulted his eyes as he attempted to open them once, twice, then a third time before he succeeded.

What we he doing outside?

He sat up, eyes searching, his confusion only growing when he realized that he was on a ship. Why was there grass on the ship? And were those trees?

"Ace, you're here too?"

Ace turned around, blinking when he saw his brother staring over at him with a perplexed expression.

"Do you know where we are, Sabo?"

"Not in the slightest."

Ace huffed and stood along with Sabo before the two began to scour the deck for any other forms of life. But there was not another living soul to be found, no signs of life, no other ships on the horizon.

"Where the hell are we?" Ace groaned in annoyance as he crossed his arms. Sabo didn't answer him with a sarcastic retort as per usual. He was staring up at the crows nest with an awed expression. "Sabo, what's wrong?" Ace said before turning and looking up. His own eyes widened in surprise at what he saw.

"Luffy?" They both whispered.

Their brother grinned before jumping down and landing softly on his feet. He smiled at them with such sincerity and love that the two, still feeling guilty after all these months, ran to him and engulfed him in a hug. He gave a laugh as he brought his arms around the two, hugging them tight.

"I missed you guys, too," He said as he closed his eyes feeling at peace with the world. After a few minutes, the oldest stepped back with a grin, leaving the two to stare up at him with confusion.

"Luffy, where are we?" Sabo was the first to get his wits about himself and croaked out the question as he tried to keep his tears at bay.

"I don't really know. I just know we're somewhere between worlds."

"Between worlds…?" Sabo raised an eyebrow in question and Luffy's smile changed to that smile he would only show around his little brothers, the smile that made them feel everything would be okay. He placed his hand on top of the blond's hair and gave it a quick ruffle.

"I'm waiting."

"Waiting? For what?"

"I don't know. It's a mystery."

Sabo huffed, slightly annoyed, but soon smiled because even though it had only been a few months, it was an agonizingly long amount of time without his brother. Others in town had gotten over it already except everyone who had met Luffy, even their own friends. It felt as if eons had passed, being unable to talk to their brother, smile with him, laugh with him, have their stupid arguments.

"I'm happy you're both alive," Sabo looked up at that while Ace continued to stare at the floor, burning two holes into it with his eyes. "I was really worried, you know? What if something went wrong and it wasn't over…but it seems like you two will be able to get out of this okay."

"Luffy?" Both the addressed and the blond looked over to Ace, who still had yet to look up as his fists were clenched at his sides, shaking and turning white. "Why didn't you tell us what was happening?" Sabo's eyes widened as he bit his own lip while Luffy just stared, listening to the younger raven-haired boy speak. "We could've helped…This could've been avoided! I wouldn't have said those awful things out of-"

Ace was suddenly pulled against a muscled chest, his eyes widening as he realized that it wasn't scared like it was the last time he saw it. It was as if he had never been injured in the first place.

"It's the big brother's job to do the protecting. I was happy to be able to protect you two, our family, our friends…even if the outcome wasn't the best, you two got to live. You can carry out your dreams and have happy lives. That's all I ever wanted for you two. I never wanted you to get tangled into that horrible loop I got stuck in."

"Still," Ace interrupted, his hands now fisting in the red fabric of Luffy's shirt, stretching out the words on it, the letters spelling out "strength". "We wanted you to be able to live a happy life too! But now you can't, and those words…"

"You're really caught up on those words, aren't you?" Luffy mumbled, running a hand through his brother's soft locks as he reached out his other arm and pulled Sabo to him as well. Both younger brothers were tense now as they thought back on that day, the words that went both said and unsaid in anger towards their brother. "I wanted you two to get angry at me." Their eyes widened in shock. Sabo shifted slightly, craning his neck to look up at his older brother, while Ace just clutched tighter. "I was more worried about you two being angry with me and me not being able to apologize than anything else. I was never mad at you for your words; I was never mad at either of you. You have nothing to apologize for, as my message to you said."

"But Luffy-" Ace began to protest, and Sabo looked like he was about to, only for a fist to come down on each of their heads. They both yelped in pain and looked up at Luffy, seeing his annoyed face.

"Stop trying to apologize! You did nothing wrong!" Luffy yelled at them. They both looked up at him, blinking and shocked. His frown quickly disappeared and he began to laugh.

"Thank you, Luffy," Ace mumbled, flushing from embarrassment, causing Luffy to look at him with a chuckle. He pulled them both into a hug again and they clutched onto him, not wanting to let go, not wanting to return to reality just yet.

"You guys are really strong," Luffy said with a smile. "I'm sure you two will do great things someday. Don't let anything put you down. Keep moving and you'll be alright."

Luffy pulled out of the hug and gave them both one last ruffle to their hair as he began to step back. Both the younger boy's eyes widened in shock when they realized that their surroundings and their brother were disappearing in a strange, glittering glow.

"I love you, Ace, Sabo."

"We love you too, Luffy!" Sabo yelled back.

"We won't forget you!" Ace yelled at the same time. Both were crying again as Luffy smiled widely at them. They heard him laugh one last time before everything disappeared and they were left to wake up in their own beds at home, feeling much better for the first time in a long time. They never did truly remember what happened in the dream, but they knew Luffy was there, and he was happy. They could still remember the warmth they felt and the laughter they heard. It convinced them to keep moving, just as Luffy wished for them.

* * *

**AN: I've had a dream much like the one Ace and Sabo had when someone I knew died and after, I felt much better. But, Doflamingo got what was coming to him, don't you guys agree? I admit I could've done much worse to him, but I felt like Roger, as a father more than anything, would've just wanted him dead and gone as soon as possible so other parents wouldn't have to experience anything like that at Doflamingo's hands again. Anyway, we still have the epilogue after this AND I have decided to write that bonus chapter. Don't know when it will come out or how fast I will finish it, but I'll try to have it done before Monday.**

**jam klaoo: I had to change the rating because of the violence so it won't be appearing on the main page anymore. I felt that it was very important for Ace to talk about his feelings. The Zoro and Chopper scene was my favorite one to write. I can't say anything about what will happen in the Bonus chapter, but it will definitely have a happier ending. Don't worry, I got the point :). The next chapter, the epilogue, will have a huge time skip and a surprise.**

**youshouldn'tneedtoknow: You have your answer about Doffy now. You'll hear more about what happened with the message next chapter. The message is very similar to the one Sabo left when he died, but the words have more of a finality to them like when Ace died. **

**mugiwara-cristal: Thank you and there will definitely be a bonus with an alternative ending.**

**0123: No problem. I really wanted to write one after your review. I'm glad you liked the chapter. i felt their reactions were really important like how they were after Ace died.**

**Sparrow1011: The bonus will be an alternative ending and will definitely come out, hopefully before Monday. I know it was sudden for him to die after so much happy times, but I wanted to show not everything was bad and how it would affect everyone if he died. **

**shadowmarialove: Sorry for making you cry :(. But yes, Luffy is dead. He won't be resurrected or** **anything like that, but I'll be writing a bonus with an alternative ending. **

**02FireRains: Thank you very much. The alternative ending will be sad, but Luffy won't die in it. **


	28. Epilogue

**Warnings: Fluff, possible angst, possible OoC characters, possible confusion**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece! Not me!**

* * *

**_Six years later_**

Two tall, young men walked down a path surrounded by grass and graves on that early, sunny Saturday morning. They were both silent as they walked, solemn as they thought back on this exact day six years prior. Today, it had been exactly six years since their older brother was torn from them. They could still remember his smile and his voice, even if the memories were growing fuzzy. They truly missed the older boy.

Both were quiet until they reached his grave and sat down in front of it with small smiles on their faces. One traced his fingers lightly over the name scrawled into it. He gave a sad, soft smile as he pulled his hand away, his brother closing his eyes next to him. This was kind of like a ritual for them now. Every year on the day of his death, they would come here and tell him everything that he had missed. Still, it didn't stop some of the bitter memories that would run through their heads, remembering everything that had happened after the boy died.

It had been six years since their brother died, murder along with Bellamy by the man they had come to know as Doflamingo. Not that they knew anything about the man, per say – the man had been murdered during the search for him worldwide after all of his illegal activities became widespread known in the world. Bellamy had been drugged since early childhood and among Doflamingo's group had been known as "their most successful experiment" according to all of their documents. Needless to say, along with the hundreds of other children abused, most of the adult population - and the kids who understood everything that had happened - was infuriated.

There was now reason behind the Chainsaw Murderer's acts as well, though none were good and all were hated – it was all because the parents of the victims were trying to reveal Donquixote's horrible acts. Doflamingo didn't like this and saw it fit to kill their kids as punishment. They learned who it was that killed Garp and that Luffy had, after all, been their cousin from Garp's other son that Roger never knew of until they read that letter and managed to crack the code on the flash drive.

The trial had been long, taking several months, due to the amount of information, especially with what was found in the flash drive. There were hundreds of pages and pieces, pictures and recordings of everything that had happened in those facilities that Doflamingo had run. Whoever put all the information on that flash drive would be eternally thanked by all the victims families and friends. Though Doflamingo was not alive to be jailed, almost all of his henchmen had been captured. Most were to be jailed for decades or for life, the company – which had merely been a front – was shut down, and Luffy's family and friends finally had some closure. They thought about the trial almost every day, but never forgot to think of their brother.

"Yo, Luffy. How're things going for you?" Sabo asked, breaking the silence, and chuckled lightly when there was a small breeze that went by, as though his brother was laughing. "That's good. Things are good here too. Mom and Dad are still living at home but there's no danger of wolves anymore. All of them have left or been moved to a less human-inhabited area. All of your friends are getting closer to their dreams. Many of them are making it big out there. Our friends are getting close to their dreams too…they all miss you, like us."

Both of them sat quietly, staring at the grave as the sun came out from behind the trees and shined down on it with a beautiful golden glow. Ace smiled before pulling out something from his watermelon backpack he found after Luffy's death. Luffy had apparently gotten them presents, they learned, as congratulations on their accomplishments in school and sports that year. It had been their last year of middle school and, had Luffy lived, they would've been in the same high school for one year. Yet, even with his bad grades and his delinquent reputation, all the teachers who also had Ace and Sabo as students as they had Luffy said nothing but good things about him. It made them unbelievably happy that he was so well loved even where he was a well known trouble maker. Sabo had gotten a big blue coat that was big enough to grow into and a fancy belt while Ace got a red, beaded necklace along with the bag. All were in perfect condition even with the constant use in high school and college.

From the bag Luffy bought him, he pulled out a pack of beef jerky and he placed it at the foot of the grave.

"This was your favorite brand, right?" The sunlight began to reach their faces. Then, for the next two hours, both talked about everything that had happened to them that year, both good and bad.

"Luffy…I don't know if we've said it yet, even though we always think it, but…thank you for saving us. And you shouldn't thank us for loving you, that's easy…thank you for loving us, even despite all that we said." Ace said with a small smile as he looked up at the sky, tipping his hat back. "You'd probably get mad at me for apologizing again," Ace gave a small chuckle before he continued. "I think you know this already, but I didn't mean what I said that day. I'm really happy that you were our big brother." They both thought back to that voice mail they got from him. It had actually been recorded and put onto a CD that the two brothers kept safe – a sad reminder, but it was their brother's last words, and they weren't going to let them be erased.

The two then talked for hours to the grave, speaking of things ranging from school, friends, family, stupid things they had done that year, how much stronger they had gotten, and so on and so forth. They would spill their deepest secrets to that grave as well, knowing their brother would hear them. After all, brothers didn't keep secrets, no matter what they were. At least that was Ace and Sabo's resolve after Luffy had died. They didn't want to have to suffer like that or make others suffer like that ever again. Their secrets were never as bad as Luffy's had been, but it felt right to tell him.

After they had been quiet for a few minutes, Sabo gave a soft, contented sigh. Sabo smiled and stood, patting his brother's grave before helping Ace up, and after standing for a few moments, they began to walk away with a wave.

"See you next year, Luffy!"

"We love ya bro!"

The two turned around and began to argue over how to get out of the cemetery they had been in countless times before. They couldn't see it but their brother stood there by his grave, perfectly healthy with no scars, with a huge grin on his face. He laughed slightly. "_Shishishi, you two have really grown…thank you…_" With the next gust of wind he disappeared, his laughter seeming to spread over the town.

_"I'm happy I didn't fail you."_

.

.

.

.

.

.

**In Another World, In Another Time…**

Ace's eyes opened to bright sunlight that seemed to sear into his head, causing it to pound. He squinted as he stared up into the sky with confusion.

_What the hell was that dream?_

Slowly Ace sat up and, realizing he had another narcoleptic fit, sighed. At least it was the safe area of Mount Corbo and not near any huge animals. He heard mumbling and turned next to him to see his brother, Sabo, beginning to wake up. His eyes slowly opened before he jerked up, looking around with a questioning look before his eyes landed on the other fourteen year old.

"You never have fits," Ace mumbled but Sabo only yawned.

"I got really tired all of a sudden and it looked like a nice place to sleep."

Ace grunted as he slowly rose to his feet before helping Sabo up.

"Sabo, did you have a weird dream?"

"…You too, Ace?"

"Yeah…what was it about?"

Sabo frowned and crossed his arms.

"Luffy was the older brother and…he died for us…" Sabo grimaced at the thought of their precious little brother suffering a death encased by flames. The dream would likely be stuck in his memory for his whole life. That was one of the worst things he had ever seen. Luffy, who hated being alone, dying alone. It would haunt both of the older boy's since they both had the dream.

"You too, huh," Ace sighed and ran his hand through his hair, an anxious expression coming over his face. The three of them all had weird dreams with memories that were theirs, but at the same time weren't, from time to time. However, this was the first time that they saw something so gruesome. Thinking of his little brother going through something like that made him feel physically sick. Ace gave a heavy sigh before looking around the area. It looked like they had only been asleep for an hour or so. What worried him the most right then was Luffy, who wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Do you think Luffy had a dream to?" Sabo looked at Ace and Ace shrugged, appearing calm, but the concern in his eyes was obvious. Both hoped that, if he did have a dream, it wasn't the one they had just had. Just as they were about to set off and find the smallest of the trio, they heard their names being called.

"Ace! Sabo!" Both turned and saw the small rubber boy running at them with an anguished expression that made their hearts break. He ran to the closest, Sabo, and hugged him around the middle while sobbing. When Luffy saw Ace, he gripped his arm and pulled him closer. Both could feel him shaking.

"Did you have a nightmare, Luffy?" Sabo asked softly, pushing the straw hat to his back to run his hand through the soft and dark locks on his brother's head.

"You and Ace…you g-guys died…there was a-an explosion and-and a lava fist and…" Luffy broke into sobs again and when he did, Ace kneeled down to his eye level before bopping him lightly over the head. Luffy whimpered and whined and looked at Ace with pathetic, teary eyes while Ace ruffled his hair with a loving smile.

"Baka. We're both strong. Stop killing us off." That was the calmest Ace had ever said those words and Luffy nodded, trying to wipe away his tears. He then moved in to hug Ace, who held him tightly in return. When Luffy pulled away, he grinned. Ace and Sabo grinned back before both grabbed a cheek and pulled. Luffy whined as his rubber cheeks were stretched before they were let go and he rubbed the previously stretched, slightly red skin.

"C'mon, Luffy. Let's go get some food from Dadan's."

Luffy looked up at his brothers with a big grin and a laugh before taking both of their hands as they walked down the path.

* * *

_No matter what it takes, I will not let you die. If you die, I will wait to see you again and hold you in my heart. And if I die, I will keep coming back for you until we can all live together in peace._

* * *

**AN: I have mixed feelings about this chapter, but I think it came out alright. And I'm just going to clear up any confusion that could come up with the last part of the chapter. This story stemmed from the idea of what would happen if the brothers were reborn, but Luffy was the older brother, and what would happen if Ace and Sabo went through what Luffy went through in canon. As for the last part, what would happen if they were reborn again, same ages as canon, but none of them died? That's basically what is happening. If you have any more questions about it, I'll answer them in the bonus chapter.**

**spoons-are-evil: Yay! You're back! And I know the feeling. I hate being unable to read fanfiction. I'm gonna reply to all of your reviews in one go. **

**I'm glad you liked them, even if they were short. I had a hard time of thinking of longer ones, but the I loved writing the short ones. And yes, Franky made a mini Coup-de-burst for a model ship. I feel like Luffy would read if it was about pirates, or maybe have Robin read to him. I doodle all the time in class. If I don't I fidget the whole time. I love Binks Sake! I wanted the song in there really bad. And yes, he forgot his own birthday. Too bad he never did get that car. It makes me happy that you're so into the story (even if you cried, sorry :( ). Doffy hated Dragon. If Bellamy had a no name father, he probably would've killed him as a baby, but his grudge was so big that he decided to torment the boy. **

**Writing Bellamy's words were so hard I was trying not to cry. And when I read everything over again for spelling mistakes I was like No! Don't Cry! Don't CRY! He said words like Ace and made a promise, and you can see why with this AN and epilogue. And that weird feeling was kind of what I was aiming for - start sad, get slowly better and content until the characters are more at peace. And I was not letting Doffy get out of this alive. It was just not happening. Like Luffy and Bellamy, he was going to die. And that's what Roger's job was - kill bad guys. This one was just a lot more personal than the others. That last scene was meant to be closure for the two of them. Know you know what the mystery Luffy was waiting for was. Thank you so much! And we only got one chapter after this. It's hard to believe this is almost over...****  
**

**Lily Noir: I feel bad for making you cry like that but at the same time thank you so much! Your words mean a lot to me. :) I hope you liked the epilogue!**

**shadowmarialove: He was always gonna get what was coming to him. I think you mean dose, but I'm not sure... yep, they had a closure dream where Luffy's ghost came and visited them. Roger is head of the Oro Group, a non government affiliated group that will slander the reputation of, throw everything back at, or kill corrupt/ evil people.**

**jam klaoo: I'm glad you liked the flashbacks! Felt they were important for Roger to remember right then. I was happy to kill Doffy - I just made him over the top evil and he deserved it. In the bonus, all I can guarantee you is that no one (except maybe Doffy, not sure yet) will die and that it will be somewhat sad.**

**0123: I'm glad you liked it. And Roger always kept his job top secret which is why it was never brought up. And his ghost came to visit them and give them the closure that they needed. I think that they did go to that ship for a while, but as you can see with this chapter, they did get reborn again.**

**AHHHH I can't believe we only have one chapter left. It makes me sad :( ...(I kind of want to write a sequel about their rebirth in the world at the end of the chapter again...what do you guys think?) **

**Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review! I love to hear what you guys have to say! :)**

**Oh, also, I'll try and have the bonus out by Monday. But this weekend will mostly be spent with my family (I've barely seen them and we all live in the same house and it sucks) so I'm not making promises about Monday, but I will try my best to have it out by then. **


	29. Bonus: Alternate Ending

**Note: THIS IS IMPORTANT TO READ TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT DIFFERS FROM THE ORIGINAL FIRE. When Luffy died, he did not die from his legs getting crushed. He died from blood loss from excessive physical activity (slamming his body into doors, running, etc.). In this, he was not shot or stabbed. Therefore, he was able to help escape faster with Bellamy...for the most part. He did what Bellamy did for him, shoving him out of the way of the ceiling, except where Luffy died in chapter 25, not where Bellamy died. **

**Warnings: Violence, cursing, fluff, angst**

**Disclaimer: Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece, not me.**

* * *

**Bonus: An Alternate Ending**

"Hold on Luffy! Don't you _dare_ die on me now!"

Bellamy was screaming at him, trying to keep him awake, trying to save him. His fingers were digging into the burning ceiling that had fallen on Luffy, trying with all of his might to lift it off at the other teen. Luffy, himself, was trying to free himself.

Luffy clutched at the floorboards, his fingers digging deep into the burning wood. He tried to pull himself but only left his hands a bloody, burned mess. He coughed violently, the poisonous fumes irritating his lungs.

_This can't be happening! We're so close!_

The door was literally _right there_, just a few feet away from his outstretched hand.

"Bellamy! Get out of here!" Luffy yelled desperately before breaking into another violent coughing fit. Bellamy stared down at him in shock before anger overcame his features. He lifted the other teen's torso and grabbed at the front of Luffy's shirt and shook him, tears in his eyes.

"You think I'm just going to leave you here?! No fucking way! Just shut up and let me work!"

He let go of Luffy and the teen fell to the ground, grunting slightly before turning angered and desperate eyes up to the blond. Luffy kept trying to tell him to run, but Bellamy didn't leave. He just let the fire continue to burn away at his body as he tried to lift the heavy weight off of Luffy's legs.

Then there were bangs on the door, making the burning frames shudder. Luffy watched through his blurry vision as the doors were knocked down and men ran in and over to him. A mask was placed on his face as they began to yell between each other. They did the same to Bellamy and dragged the other boy out, kicking and screaming, protesting.

_We're going to be okay…_

Finally, Luffy passed out from the pain in his legs, unaware to anything else that happened around him.

* * *

The morning sky poured outside of the window to the bright white hospital room. Inside were seven people – an unconscious teenager on a bed, both of his legs heavily bandaged; another blond teenager sitting up in his own bed, bandages covering his minor burn wounds as he stared down at the sheets he clutched tightly in his fists; a woman sitting by the unconscious boy's side, her hand resting on his face as her eyes worriedly looked over his form; a man on the unconscious boy's other side, holding his hand; two younger teens, standing in the room and staring at the last person, a tall and old woman in doctors attire.

"Your son will live," She continued after having listed off several of the injuries and problems that had been fixed in surgery. "However, the chances of him ever being able to walk again are slim."

Rouge allowed a few tears to slip down her face as she looked at her son's face, her hand trembling slightly against his cheek. Across from her, Roger gripped his hand tighter, rubbing his thumb over the back of it in a soothing motion he did for the boy when he was younger. Bellamy closed his eyes and bit his lip until it bled, cursing himself and that damn bird for everything that had happened.

A nurse called the doctor out of the room and she gave one last glance at the family before leaving, once again, to the Emergency Room.

Ace's hands clenched into fists, his knuckles becoming white from the strain on them. Sabo was pale as he stared at the unconscious form of his brother.

Suddenly, Ace stormed out of the room. Bellamy watched with sad eyes as Sabo called his name and ran after him down the halls until he managed to catch up to him in an elevator. "Ace."

"No, Sabo," Ace cut him off, his back facing the blond. Sabo stared at his twin's back in concern, already sensing the regret and guilt Ace was feeling. It was silent as the elevator slowly brought them to the bottom. When they sensed it was about to stop, Ace spoke.

"I'm not going back."

Sabo's eyes widened as Ace bolted out of the elevator.

"Ace! Wait! Don't do this!" Sabo cried out as he chased after his brother. Ace, however, was faster. "Ace!" By the time Sabo was out the door, Ace was already long gone in the pouring rain. "ACE!"

He didn't go back.

* * *

Ace walked into their unlocked house, drenched in the water of the rain falling outside. He closed the door behind him and slowly slid down it. He brought his hands up and stared at them.

_"I don't understand why Mom and Dad didn't just give you to the orphanage after they found you that night."_

He clenched his fists as tears began to fall from his eyes. He curled into a ball and gripped his hair, yanking on it harshly.

"Luffy…"

* * *

Six days later, Luffy woke up. His eyes snapped open and he tried to move, only to groan and lay back down.

"Luffy!"

He looked to the side, his eyes widening and a smile overcoming his face at the sight of his mom.

"Mom!" She grabbed him in a tight hug, her arms encircling him in a warm embrace. He brought his own arms up and clutched her tightly to him. After a few moments, all of the memories bombarded him. He gulped, holding onto her more, and she hugged back just as securely.

She pulled back from him, tears in her eyes, put her hands on both sides of his head, and kissed his forehead. She pulled back and smiled at him. "Luffy," He looked at her with a slightly guilty smile. "Don't ever do something so reckless again," She mumbled, hugging him once again. Her tears fell and he felt them on his shoulder. He looked at her with a worried expression before he smiled and hugged her again, his own tears falling.

"I won't," He said, bury his face into her shoulder and relaxing for what felt like the first time in months.

"Luffy, you're awake!" They pulled away from each other and Luffy grinned widely.

"Dad!"

The man strode across the room and grabbed his son, pulling him into a bone-crushing son.

"Such an idiot son I have. Tell us when you're in danger, you fool!" He whispered into Luffy's hair. Luffy smiled and nodded, hugging his father back with the same strength.

They pulled away from each other and immediately the three launched into conversation. Luffy told them everything that he remembered from the fire. When he asked them what had happened while he was asleep, they went over many things. All of his friends, Rayleigh, Shanks and his crew, and Ace and Sabo's friends had come to visit him while he was unconscious. But then, they had to tell him the worst news.

"Unable to walk?" He mouthed the words, barely making a sound, as he took in the information.

"Yes. They said you may be able to walk again, but it will take time and it will be very painful-"

"I don't care. I learned to do it once, I can learn to do it again," Luffy said, determination shining in his eyes. Rouge smiled at him with a knowing, accepting smile.

"I don't see why I doubted you would want to do it. I'm glad, Luffy." Roger was smiling approvingly and ruffled his son's hair. Then, he asked a question they didn't want to hear.

"Mom, Dad, what happened to Bellamy?"

They looked at each other worriedly before turning to him and spoke the words that made his heart stop.

"He what?!"

* * *

Bellamy sat on his bed, staring down at the sketchbook in his hands and the drawings on them. He had never really had a hobby before, so all of this was new to him. Heck, since when had he even been able to draw?

But…it felt nice. Sure, his drawings looked like absolute shit, but it was oddly calming for him to be able to draw like that. There was nothing violent about it, and that was probably his favorite thing about it.

A knock on the door made him look up and then a young, blond woman entered the room. He gave a small smile and a nod.

"Hi, Conis."

"Hello, Bellamy," She said with a smile, looking down at the clipboard she held in her hands. "You have therapy in a few minutes. Would you like me to walk you there?"

"Sure. I don't remember where it is," Bellamy said as he stood, following after her as they talked about small things, things that didn't matter.

* * *

"Why would he do that?! He's not insane!" Luffy looked utterly confused as he stared at his parents. His mother looked sad and his father had a serious look he rarely ever saw on his face.

"He may not be insane, but he does have a mental illness. He asked to be brought there after telling the police everything he could about Doflamingo. He had plenty of evidence to prove his claims of MPD as well…"

"Will he have to stay there for a while?" Luffy asked nervously. His mother shrugged.

"We don't know. But, the doctors said that you two will be allowed to visit each other. They said it will be important for both of your recoveries."

Luffy sighed.

"Mom, Dad, how long do I have to stay here?"

Rouge's eyes were downcast as she answered. "A few months, maybe even more."

Luffy sighed in annoyance. But, to his parents surprise, he smiled right over at them.

"I'll do everything I can to get better and get back home with you guys as fast as I can," Luffy grinned widely at them. Rouge's eyes widened in shock and tears fell from her eyes as she pulled her son into a tight hug. Roger's eyes softened as he ran a hand through Luffy's hair, smiling fondly at the boy.

Even if it took a while, everything would turn out okay.

* * *

Luffy sighed as he stared down at the papers he had. It was all schoolwork that he had to do. He grumbled about it, annoyed. He knew that kids in hospitals got tutors, but it hadn't even been a week since he woke up! Couldn't they wait a few more days? Still, it wasn't like he had anything better to do. The clicker was out of his reach so he couldn't watch TV and no one else was there for him to talk to.

He brought his pencil across the page as he tried to understand what the hell his math homework was saying. He was fine at the beginning of the year when it was all factoring and variables, but he _hated_ trigonometry. It was a triangle, it had three sides. Why did he need to learn how to measure the stupid sides when he would never need this again after high school?

There was a knock on his door and he looked up, expecting it was the tutor returning, but a large grin came over his face when it wasn't.

"Zoro!"

The green haired teen grinned as he walked over, picking up and iPad from the desk next to the immobile teen and tapping him over the head with it.

"Yo, Luffy. What's up?" He asked as he pulled a chair up and sat down. Luffy pouted at him.

"Zoro, will you do my math for me?"

"No."

"But Zoroooo, I don't like it."

"Too bad, I'm not doing it for you."

Luffy stuck his tongue out at him, but Zoro only gave a small smile as he went back to finish his math work, which hopefully wouldn't take too long. It had been four days since the boy had woken up. It made him happy, to see him so carefree. Zoro couldn't help but remember how relieved they were when they saw him the first time after he had woken up.

* * *

_Usopp was bouncing from foot to foot next to him, biting his lip from frayed nerves. Nami was clutching the strap of her purse, within which were several tangerines she had snuck in. Sanji was tapping his foot impatiently, annoyed that he wasn't allowed to smoke inside the hospital. Robin appeared as calm as ever as she held the iPad in her hands, but Zoro could tell even she was slightly nervous, but mostly relieved. Zoro, himself, had his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He watched the numbers of the elevator slowly change and let out a silent sigh._

_It had been annoyingly difficult to even get to see Luffy. Security in the hospital was fierce due to the fact that such a dangerous man was after Luffy. Heck, even though they were on the allowed visitors list, they still had to call Luffy's parent's for confirmation. Zoro understood they were trying to keep the boy safe, but it was still irritating. They were his friends! His extremely worried friends that just wanted to see with their own eyes that Luffy really was awake._

_The elevator stopped and the doors opened slowly. Normally, Zoro was patient, but this was just _way too slow_. Then, when the doors finally opened, there were police officers at every single door in the hall. _

_Usopp gulped, shaking, because it wasn't as if the five of them (six if you counted Luffy) were well liked by the towns police. Hell, they'd done at least fifty eat'n'runs in the past two years, they'd trespassed on construction territory, they'd gotten into fights and beaten the shit out of some arrogant asshole (and almost got caught doing so), and pulled countless stunts in town. It didn't help that he always got lost, then he and swirly-brow would make a scene fighting which would make Nami punch them and then everyone would stare at her lecturing them. Or the ero-cook would start flirting with women who would sometimes scream for the police. And then all of them except Nami and Robin had broken at least twenty things around town…Needless to say the police didn't like them. And it was pretty obvious by the way some of them were giving them annoyed looks._

_They finally reached Luffy's room and of all the people to be by the door, of course it had to be Smoker. However, to Zoro's slight surprise, the man did nothing other than let them into the room. _

_Zoro decided to wonder about it later and followed everyone else into the room. He gave a slight smile as they all ran over and crowded around the teen while he called out their names. He moved to stand next to the head of Luffy's bed and put a hand on his head in the middle of his endless chatter with Usopp and Nami. He ruffled the dark locks, earning a laugh from Luffy and a wide grin._

_Everything would be okay now._

_Feeling more at ease than he had been for a very long time, Zoro moved to sit down, leaning on the wall, and took a nap. The whole time though, his ears were open, making sure he could still hear the shitty cook's swearing, Nami's scolding and then her happiness, Usopp's stories he told Luffy, Robin's occasional input, and of course Luffy's laugh and his voice._

* * *

Zoro watched Luffy do his math the whole time, occasionally correcting him when he made a mistake. When Luffy had woken up, he had never been so relived in his life. And although Chopper, Franky, and Brook couldn't get in, they could still talk using the iPad.

"Nah, Zoro?" Luffy asked out of the blue, and from the look on his face, Zoro knew it wasn't a question about math. "Have you seen Ace and Sabo?"

Zoro frowned slightly. From what he had heard from Nami who had heard from an annoyed Kid, Ace was refusing to visit and Sabo refused to visit without his twin. It bothered Zoro to no end, but he didn't want to interfere unless it was asked of him.

"No, I haven't seen them."

Luffy gave a small, weary, regretful smile. "I see."

Zoro really wished he could wipe that look off of his best friend's face.

* * *

Luffy was grinning widely at the tan blond who was sitting next to him. Bellamy couldn't bring himself to smile though. He was nervous as hell. What was he supposed to say to this boy who his other side had openly admitted on camera to torturing?

"Hi Bellamy!"

Bellamy blinked, responding slowly. "…hi…"

"How has everything been? Is the food good?"

"Yeah, it's pretty good," Bellamy replied after a moment of slightly stunned silence on his part.

Luffy…he was willingly talking to him.

"That's good. The food here is awful. My friends sneak food in though, so it's okay," Luffy tried to whisper the last part, but he wasn't really good at quiet. Bellamy heard Smoker groan by the door and gave a small grin. From what he had heard, it seemed that everything Luffy did annoyed the man to no end.

"We have to eat a lot of fruit and healthy food during the day but for supper we get a bunch of meat and they always have something good for desert, normally cake."

"You're so lucky!" Luffy moaned, whining as he practically drooled at the thought of the food. Bellamy's grin widened and he gave a small chuckle. "You know what really sucks? They won't let me go outside! I haven't been outside in days! It's so boring in here," Luffy complained, looking and staring out the window.

"I haven't been outside all too much either. They say I have to wait a little while. Don't know why though."

"That's stupid. Doctors are stupid. All I need is meat and adventure and I'll be fine!" Luffy crossed his arms, huffing in annoyance. Bellamy fully relaxed and agreed with the boy. He had never imagined this to be an easy conversation. He always thought it would be awkward, full of hate on Luffy's part. But this…

It made him happy.

* * *

It had been three weeks since Luffy had woken up. He was still in the hospital and he was currently bored as hell. He didn't realize it would take so long for his legs to heal. He just wanted to move but he wasn't allowed to walk yet. Last time he tried, he had fallen flat on his face and then doctor Kureha was pissed…

He noted to never piss off the doctor.

It was night now, and he thought back on everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Doflamingo still had yet to be found, much to his and Bellamy's dismay. His schoolwork was actually making sense now that he could focus. One of his friends tried to visit him every day and they always made sure to entertain him in some way, shape or form. His parents would visit every day too. Sometimes it was just Mom or just Dad, but they always tried to come together. Even Lucci had visited him once, which had been strange but welcome.

But he had yet to see his brothers.

Luffy stared out the large window in his room, staring up at the moon high in the sky. He wished he could see them so, so badly. He wanted to apologize, but he had a feeling that wouldn't be happening any time soon. He sighed sadly, looking down at a picture of him and his brothers on the iPad.

"Ace…Sabo…" He whispered, allowing a finger to hover over their pixelated faces.

* * *

"Ace! Where are you? Ace!" Sabo cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled for his brother. When he heard no reply, he sighed deeply.

Three weeks. For three weeks, every morning, Ace would go deep into the forest behind their house and hide all day, only coming back late at night. Sabo would spend all day looking for him, but never succeeded in finding the other. He really didn't want to be found.

Sabo had to wonder how Luffy was. In those three weeks, he had visited Luffy once. The older teen had been deep asleep. He had been prepared to talk to the older, to face his guilt…

But one look at the crippled body had broken his resolve. If he had just stopped Ace from saying those things that day, would everything have played out differently? Would his brother still be bedridden like this?

He hadn't visited since, and Ace hadn't visited at all.

He felt unbelievably guilty but couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. At least, not without Ace. He felt his twin needed to see Luffy more than he did but at the same time needed something to lean on. Sabo did too; they would be each other's pillar if they could just gather the courage to step into the room and face the fact that their older brother may be bound to a wheelchair forever. The longer they stalled in this…well…Sabo knew it wasn't going to bring anything good.

* * *

Ace looked down from the treetops as his brother called is name for him. He knew he wanted him to go and see Luffy. But Ace…he didn't think he could handle it yet.

He wasn't running away though! He was waiting for the moment to strike…if that made any sense. He just wasn't sure if Luffy would _want _to see him. Especially after all of that shit that he said. He said so many awful things to his brother and he wanted to make them _right_ but he didn't know_ how_.

He sighed deeply.

He really hated himself sometimes. If only he didn't have that stupid fiery temper then…maybe none of this would've happened! Maybe Luffy wouldn't have gone off and almost gotten killed.

He allowed his head to fall back, hitting the trunk of the tree he leaned against as his legs dangled off either side of the branch. He closed his eyes, thinking deeply, berating himself, whispering to himself.

"Sort your shit out, idiot."

* * *

The walls were covered in drawings.

It was sort of an obsession of Bellamy's now to draw. It seemed to grow after Luffy didn't shun him for everything that he did. He drew an array of things – people, landscapes, still life's, cartoons, animals, and so on. He wasn't all to great at it – he was mediocre, average – but the soothing affect it had on him, especially after his nightmares, was something he enjoyed about the activity.

He actually had nightmares every night. He was becoming an insomniac because of it. But it wasn't really his fault that his other self decided to torment him in his sleep.

…That made no sense, did it?

He sighed lightly to himself as he put his new drawing on the wall. At least he didn't have to listen to his other self while he was awake anymore. He seemed to be getting…weaker. He didn't know how it would affect him in the long run – aside from his insomnia – but as long as he didn't have to listen to him too much, he was fine.

He wasn't worried about himself, but he was worried about Luffy.

It had been a month and a half since he had woken up and their nightmare seemed over. At least in the long run. Both were still dealing with the side affects. Bellamy wasn't sure what would've happened to him if it wasn't for the Skypeia Institution. But Luffy…he seemed fine, but Bellamy had always put up an act when he was awake. He knew something was deeply bothering the slightly younger boy. He wasn't sure what it was, but he assumed it had to do with his family. Bellamy remembered how he found out about the boy's issue.

* * *

_It was Bellamy's one hour to be out of the Institution and with Luffy. He was excited to say the least. Sure, he got to talk about his "feelings" and what not at the Institution, but Luffy didn't always try to make up reasons like some of the doctors did. He just listened and then the two would end up joking around for the rest of the visit._

_Bellamy approached the door and saw that the now only one guard wasn't there. But he heard talking inside the room. He moved to knock when his ears suddenly picked up what Luffy was talking about._

_"They're not coming this week either?"_

_"I'm afraid not, Luffy…I'm sorry. They're gone in the morning and in bed by the time we get home."_

_"It's alright Mom, it's not your fault. It's my fault. I screwed up."_

_"But, Luffy-"_

_"I'll just wait until they decide to come in."_

_"I can tell them to come in. This whole time, neither of them have visited. You must really want to see them, right?"_

_"Yeah, but if it makes them uncomfortable, I can wait."_

_"Luffy…"_

_Bellamy's eyes were downcast at that. He could easily pick up on what they were talking about. That was Rouge, his aunt who he had met a few times, talking to Luffy about his brothers, Ace and Sabo. Had they really not visited all this time?_

_It really pissed him off, but he put on a smile and knocked on the door, walking in to talk with his brother and aunt and putting the bad thoughts in the back of his mind for later._

* * *

Bellamy laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't understand why those two weren't visiting Luffy. He figured something had happened before the fire, but he didn't know what was a good enough reason to not visit your brother. He would understand if you were in another country, unable to leave. But they were home, refusing to visit the boy who had probably saved their lives.

Something was wrong and he vowed to find a way to fix it.

* * *

Early July.

It was early July when Luffy's legs were healed enough for him to begin to learn how to walk again and for him to be allowed to go outside. Two months. Two unbearably long months inside. The first thing he did was to go outside.

Luffy grinned as he wheeled himself outside, moving to a place where he could get plenty of sunlight and just staying there, reveling in it. Yes, he was annoyed he couldn't go have any adventures, but he had plenty of time left after this. Once he could walk again, that was all he would ever do. Have adventures, live life how he wanted to, listen to no one but himself.

"Luffy!"

For now though, he had to go back inside.

The doctors were still hesitant about letting him outside because of the burn he had on his chest. It was bandaged and he could move, but they didn't want it getting infected. Falling on burning planks of wood had really not been one of his moments, but at least he had saved Bellamy.

"Luffy!"

The teen grumbled as he turned his wheel chair around and emerged from his hiding place. He groaned when he saw the old woman, doctor Kureha, standing there, glaring down at him. When he was close enough she hit him over the head, yelling at him about how he was nowhere near healthy enough to be going out alone. She grabbed the handles and refused to let Luffy try and roll away, listening to him whining the whole time.

When they reached the therapy room, she stood in front of him, arms crossed.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You will fall countless times and it will be painful. If you start, I won't let you give up."

"Who said I would give up?" Luffy yelled, arms crossed, glaring at the old woman with frustration. "I'm a man! I can take it!" Kureha grinned and chuckled.

"Well then, let's get started."

* * *

Relearning to walk was a lot harder than Luffy at first thought.

Right after Kureha said they would start, he moved to stand, but the second his foot hit the floor, he lost balance and fell over on his side. Kureha laughed at him for a moment before yanking on his ear and yelling at him for being too fast while ignoring his complaints about his ear.

He first had to learn how to balance. It really sucked. He would be fine while holding something, albeit extremely shaky, but the second he let go his knees would buckle under his weight and he would fall down. It had taken him three weeks to relearn how to just stand.

But it wasn't all that bad.

Mom, Dad, or both would _always _be there for the lessons. When Kureha had him do stretches, his Mom would cheer him on while his Dad would either laugh his ass off at Luffy or join in. And he did _a lot _of stretches.

If one of his parents couldn't make it, then another would be right there with them. Zoro would either sleep against the wall or actually join in, claiming it was for training. Usopp would cheer him on, try to do the stretch, fail at the stretch, cheer, then try again until Kureha smacked him over the head and told him to shut up and he was distracting her. Nami would yell at him and punch him to "motivate" him or she would bribe him with meat. When they did this one stretch when he had to pull on bars attached to a string, Nami hung the meat over his face and moved it back until he was practically laying down and then moved it forward again over and over and over until Luffy was begging for it. Sanji would yell at him and try to kick him, only to get kicked by Kureha for hurting his patient (not that Sanji minded, her being a lady and all) and would then tell him that once he relearned to walk, he would make Luffy a feast full of _meat_. Needless to say Luffy worked ten times harder with that promise. When Robin would come, she would sit by the side and smile. When Luffy was tired from all of the training and he was lying in bed, she would read him a chapter from a pirate book until he fell to sleep, the adventures running through his head.

When Shanks, Benn, Roo and Yasopp found the time to visit, they would all be there for after the therapy. Kureha said they were all too distracting and she had literally chased them out with a scalpel when they tried to join. They would all goof off in his room. Sometimes they would bring Makino and it felt nice to see her again after so many years. She was kind of like a big sister to him because she always brought him food and always fussed over him but always smiled through it all.

Bellamy, during the start of Luffy's second week of stretching to help regain balance, was allowed to stay with the black haired boy for more than one hour. Kureha would allow him to sit in during their therapy and the two would talk, get yelled at by Kureha, get scared by Kureha, and talk about anything and everything. Kureha would sometimes laugh at their stupidity and, despite the searing pain he could sometimes feel, it was all fun for Luffy.

He was staring up at the ceiling of his room at the moment. His phone, which he had just gotten back, was held loosely in his hand which hung over the side of the bed. The screen was on the all calls screen. In bright lights in the dark room, the only calls that appeared were all calls to his brothers. None had been answered. They had never called back.

Luffy turned his head to the side, staring out the window at the moonless sky as the stars sparkled like the sunlight on the ocean. His face had a blank expression, but his eyes were lonely and longing.

This was all his own stupid fault. He really was an idiot, no matter how much he denied it during his and Ace's once petty fights. But this fight must've broken the final straw or something for neither of his brothers to visit him.

_I want to see them._

He swore to himself he wasn't being a crybaby when his tears fell.

* * *

He sat in his desk at school, the first week of high school, staring at the back of his black haired friend. Ace had been extremely distant. He rarely smiled anymore and always had a guilty look on his face. He often had narcoleptic attacks in class whereas before he could easily not have one until lunch or the bus came to pick them up to drop them off at home.

Sabo had been off as well. The blond was always staring at his twin, but no one ever noticed. He would smile in front of others and act like his usual polite self, but it wasn't as genuine as it had once been. It bothered Thatch immensely. He wondered if it had to do with what happened to Luffy…it had to do with Luffy, actually, if he really thought about it. Ever since that day in May, the two had never been the same.

The bell signaling lunch rang and Thatch stood fast, grabbing his books and bag and running after his friend.

"Ace! Wait up!" The freckled boy didn't hear him or just ignored him and continued on his way to lunch. Thatch inwardly groaned, cursing the boy's depressed state, and picked up speed. He grabbed his friend by his shoulder as he finally caught up, stopping him.

Ace stood there, unmoving. Soon, the halls filtered out until everyone was in the cafeteria except for them. The sunlight from the window streamed in, shining down on them and casting long shadows over them.

"Ace, you can't keep doing this to yourself," Thatch said, brows furrowed and eyes pleading with him. "You're hurting, aren't you?"

Ace's jaw locked as he grit his teeth. He shoved Thatch off and ran down the hall. Thatch called his name, and ran after him, but he was already long gone down another corridor by the time he reached the end.

Ace had run to an area of the school that was always empty, especially during lunch.

The art room.

The teacher always left the door open just for the sole reason of kids wanting to get away. Ace sat on one of the tables, staring out the window as he took a large bite of his sandwich. Then, he turned his eyes down to his lap. They became half lidded as his brows angle changed, turning downward.

What was he doing? He was such an idiot. He wanted to go and visit Luffy but…what if he turned him away? That was his worst fear, to be turned away by his brother. But after all that he said, it wouldn't really be that surprising, would it?

But he was hurting Sabo with his stupidity. His brother rarely ever smiled anymore and would sigh often when he thought no one saw him.

What was he supposed to do?

* * *

"Mrs. Gol?"

The blond woman turned to the teen standing next to her in the elevator, the teen who was also her nephew. She had only learned of their relation after everything had happened in May. She wasn't sure how to feel at first, after everything that had transpired between him and Luffy, but when she heard of what Doflamingo had done to him, all hard feelings had vanished.

Currently, the boy was looking at her with nervous, sad eyes. It concerned her. After everything had happened, Bellamy and Luffy had really gotten along. Bellamy truly cared for Luffy more than himself, much like Luffy cared about his family and friends more than himself. But Luffy was the only person Bellamy was truly close to. He would always show the boy the drawings that he did and the two would always talk and laugh together.

She was getting sidetracked.

"Yes?" She smiled softly at him as his fists clenched.

"Why haven't his brothers come to visit yet?"

Rouge's smile instantly vanished. A regretful look came over her face as she turned, looking at the elevator doors.

"I don't know. All I know is that both are upset and feel guilty. Something was said the day of the fire. Ace won't talk, Sabo always shakes his head and never answers, and Luffy doesn't want to push them. I wish he would though. It's been months since they've seen him."

She saw Bellamy look at her from their reflections in the glossy elevator doors.

"Can I help at all?"

She turned to him and smiled fondly, softly. The boy had truly grown on her these past few months.

"I want you to focus on getting better for now. Then, maybe, you'd like to come live with us?"

Bellamy's eyes widened in shock and he stared at her with awe and disbelief. His mouth moved soundlessly as he tried to say something but failed in doing so. Rouge gave a soft laugh.

"You're family, aren't you? Isn't that what matters most?"

A look of understanding came over his face and he gave her one of the brightest smiles he had worn yet.

"Thank you."

* * *

More than four months. It was December already. He had been in the hospital for a grand total of seven months. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. It had its ups and downs. He still had schoolwork to do and his friends and family were constantly visiting. But, he had yet to take his first steps on land.

Yes, on land.

Mid-October was when he was able to take a few shaky steps. For the four weeks prior, he had been having therapy sessions in a pool. Kureha had said that it would help him build up muscle. So, he would be in the water for an hour or more a day.

It was actually a lot easier for him to swim than to walk. Kureha seemed pleased by that. She told him that it would help him build up muscle again, even if he was using his arms most of the time.

His Dad, Shanks, or Bellamy were always there for the swimming lessons. The three would always get in the water with him as well, which made it slightly easier for the teen. By the beginning of November, after six or seven weeks of water therapy, he was able to take wobbly steps in the clear, cool liquid. It was quite the accomplishment for him. Kureha had said that he was healing exceptionally fast, which had made his hopes rise.

By the tenth of December, he had been able to walk fine in water, and he actually was a good swimmer now too. He hadn't tried to walk on land for the whole water regiment, only ever did stretches, but he was excited for the end of December. She said he would probably be able to get some shaky steps on land by then.

He was ecstatic…yet he wasn't.

He had yet to see his brothers.

Currently he was sitting on his bed, staring out at the snow flurry that whizzed by him in the fast wind of the snowstorm. It was the fifteenth of the month. He had a stack of finished paper work on the ground next to him. One hand held his phone in hand, once again open to the "All calls" page, the same situation that had been seen months ago mirrored on the screen. The other lingered over his chest, which was also healing well. The whole reason he was allowed to do water therapy was because it had been healing well. It would, undoubtedly, scar. He didn't care about that though. He cared more about the scars his brother's may have from this.

There was a knock on the door and he grinned, recognizing the rhythm. He turned with a grin as in walked his few hours older, blonder brother. His cheeks and nose were red from the cold despite the scarf wrapped around his neck and shoulders. He wore a thick blue jacket and black jeans, stuffed sloppily into army boots. He smiled at Luffy and walked over, plopping down unceremoniously into a chair next to his bed.

"Yo, Luffy. How's everything?"

Luffy laughed. "Everything's fine. What about you?"

"Well, it's pretty good aside from the fact that they've reduced the number of pills. That little bugger's still back there, ya know?"

Luffy nodded, serious despite the smile on his face. Bellamy smiled back but then his eyes were drawn to the phone held in his brother's hands. He blinked, brows furrowing at the small call icons, and took the phone from the other teens hands. Luffy tried to grab it back, but Bellamy held it out of reach of the bed.

"C'mon Bellamy, give it back," Luffy whined, reaching for it. Bellamy ignored him, staring with disbelief at the screen.

He scrolled down, staring at the five…ten…twenty-five…fifty…eighty-five…more than one hundred calls to Ace and Sabo, all of which went unanswered. He had talked to Zoro and the rest of the group about the twins before, and the green haired teen had said that Sabo was always texting someone, likely Ace, who would always glance at his phone and then stuff it into his pocket, ignoring the jingle or vibrate it would make. He _knew_ the younger boy's had their phones on them at all times as well. Roger and Rouge said that in case Doflamingo made a return, they were always to have it _with them_ and _on_ at all times.

He turned back to the dark haired teen, who had by now given up and was staring at the blankets. Without saying anything, he knew what Bellamy was saying.

"They just won't answer. I'm sure they'll pick up eventually. If not, then I'll see them when I get home," He gave Bellamy a _very_ fake smile. His eyes were shut too tightly and the corners of his mouth were too tense. His brows were also slightly tilted down.

Saying nothing, Bellamy reached out for the other and pulled him over to rest his head on his chest as he moved to sit on the bed. He said nothing when he felt the dampness on his chest.

* * *

Zoro stared at the blond in front of him, who had Luffy's phone in hand as he showed him the "All calls" list. Luffy was asleep at the moment, allowing Bellamy to show the green haired teen the phone.

"I have guards waiting for me at the front of the hospital, at the elevator doors, at the car…I can't go there and knock any sense into those two idiots, but I'm pretty sure you can do something about this, right?"

He handed Zoro the phone and allowed him to scroll through himself. At that moment, there was a knock on the door, signaling the end to Bellamy's visit. He gave the sleeping teen's hair a soft ruffle and smiled at him and patted Zoro on the shoulder before walking to the door, being escorted out of the room. Zoro barely noticed though. He was too busy thinking back on everything that had happened. He remembered back when they were just kids…

* * *

_Zoro hefted the sleeping child further up on his back, grunting slightly when the smaller head knocked into his own. He looked over at the other nine year old who was in a similar position as him, with a six year old kid on his back._

_"Do you do this often?" Zoro asked, staring at the sleeping blond on Luffy's back, nuzzling into his older brother's warmth. Luffy just grinned and laughed._

_"It's not a big deal. I'd do anything for my brothers!" Luffy exclaimed surprisingly quietly, trying not to wake up the younger boys. Zoro squinted at him as the sun shined behind Luffy's head, framing him._

_"You really love them, don't you?" He said. Luffy looked up at him, confused and serious._

_"Why wouldn't I?"_

_Zoro blinked at the shorter boy before grinning that grin he always did when he realized something that made total sense if you thought about it the way Luffy did. Luffy seemed to catch onto him because he only smiled and laughed._

_"Even if they hated me, I'd do anything for them. I don't want anything to happen to them. They're my precious treasures, my precious brothers! It's my job to protect them."_

* * *

Zoro clenched his teeth tightly, his hand fisting tightly around the phone in fury. He put the phone down on the table and stormed to the door, passing by Nami and Usopp without a word despite their calls to him. He had two brats to find and knock some sense into.

* * *

To Zoro's dismay, he did not find the boy's that night and he had to leave for a fencing tournament for six days. Luffy had told him he was expecting to see his first place trophy, so he reluctantly went despite his fury. When he did get first place though, he put all of his energy into finding the two boys.

He couldn't find them on the twenty-second or the twenty-third. So, he resorted to the people who always seemed to magically know where they were on the twenty-fourth.

Thatch, Marco, Kid, and Law.

As usual, the four were found at Marco's house since it was the only place they didn't have to deal with siblings. When his Mom opened to door to a visibly pissed Zoro, she let the boy in without saying a word. She knew him, he'd been over plenty of times with Luffy, so she just assumed it was something having to do with him.

Zoro stormed down into the basement, which was Marco's hideout, and immediately saw them. They were playing some videogame, yelling at each other and laughing, having fun, and it really pissed Zoro off.

The obvious thing for him to do was unplug the console.

Thatch wailed in disbelief, as he had been in first place. Law's eyebrow was glaring at him with murderous eyes while Marco just looked extremely annoyed. Kid turned and looked at him, glowering, before he began screaming at him and cursing him.

Zoro used Nami's punch on them to shut them up.

"Where the hell are Ace and Sabo?"

The four blinked, surprised, and glanced between each other, before Marco turned to him, shrugging.

"Don't know. They said they weren't coming today."

Zoro made an annoyed sound and crossed his arms, glaring down at the younger teens.

Thatch yelped when the older teen grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder. Kid began yelling and screeching when he was grabbed and threw under his arm. Zoro turned his green eyes to Law and Marco, glaring.

"Get up before I kick you in the ass. We're finding those two idiots."

After the two were out the door and they were all outside in the woods behind the Gol D household, Zoro explained the situation. The four all looked between each other, serious, concerned, and angered looks on their faces.

"They've been off ever since the fire," Thatch began, only to get cut off by an irate Zoro.

"Luffy's already over the fire and he was actually in it."

Zoro stormed into the woods and the four looked between each other before following the teen who was known to have horrible direction issues.

* * *

Sabo stood under the tree that his brother was in with a blank expression, his form lax. Ace refused to look at him while Sabo bored holes into him, urging him to come down without saying a single word.

"You can't do this forever Ace," Sabo called as he blew warm air into the palms of his hands before rubbing them together. His cheeks were a light pink and his nose was running and red from his cold. Ace was shivering from his place in the tree tops but refused to climb down.

Sabo turned around when he heard voices and saw Marco, Thatch, Law, and Kid along with Zoro. He cocked an eyebrow at the older boy and turned to him as he approached. He quickly noticed the teen's furious expression and took a step back, but he was too and slow to dodge the fist that rammed into his jaw. Sabo fell back into a pile of snow as Zoro grabbed the collar of his shirt and began punching repeatedly at his face before shaking him harshly, muttering under his breath.

It took Kid, Marco, Thatch and Law to pry the oldest off of their blond friend. Zoro didn't struggle, knowing he could easily escape, and chose to instead glare daggers at the younger.

By then, Ace was infuriated. He had started climbing down from the tree when Sabo got punched and now stood in front of his twin, fists raised and eyes hard.

"What the hell are you doing, Zoro? What's wrong with you?!" He yelled as Sabo sat up, holding his bleeding nose and staring at the green haired teen with confused and angered eyes.

"What's wrong with me? You're what's wrong with me!" Zoro yelled at the two. All of the younger teens backed off when Zoro shoved the four off and then took a few steps toward Ace and Sabo. "The fuck is wrong with you idiots! You haven't seen your brother in seven damn months!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, punching Ace across the face and grabbing him before he could fall, shaking him harshly. "He's called you every day, waiting and hoping you two would show up in his doorway."

"Like he'd want to see us, me especially," Ace mumbled. "I said awful things that day that he wouldn't ever be able to forgive me for. Why would he want to see me?!" Ace yelled at Zoro, whose glare only hardened.

"You fucking idiot," Zoro growled out before yanking him up more, almost choking him. "He thinks you're angry at him. He's depressed because neither of you two idiots have had the guts to go see him and apologize! He thinks he's an awful brother! He thinks you two _hate_ him!"

Zoro's scream penetrated the air, followed by a deathly silence. The gray sky continued to drop it's white crystals, falling on their heated faces and melting, dripping down like tears and sweat. The cold air caused the puffs of hot air to cloud their faces as the snow melted around their boots and pants and seeped into the fabrics and leathers, wetting and cooling their skin. Some of them shook from the weather, but all trembled slightly from the impact of the words.

Ace and Sabo stared at Zoro in shocked silence. Zoro made a disgusted grunt and threw Ace down into the snow, the crunching of snow snapping them all out of their reverie.

"I thought you two weren't the type to run away from your problems. Prove to me that I'm wrong not for me, but for your brother."

The sound of his feet crunching in the snow became distant as he walked away, his back turned to them all. None of them moved for a long time. It was Marco who moved first to the brothers, long after Zoro had left.

He approached Ace first, who he knew had the hardest time with this whole tragedy, and grabbed his hands, pulling the shorter teen up.

"He's right, yoi. You never have run away," Marco said with understanding eyes, staring straight into Ace's. The shorter gulped and nodded. Then he looked down at the snow.

For the first time since that day he ran from the hospital, he allowed his tears to fall.

* * *

Luffy wasn't really supposed to be doing this.

It was Christmas morning and few people were in the hospital at the moment. Just a few nurses and doctors, roaming the halls and checking in where needed.

Which was perfect for Luffy to practice walking.

He wasn't supposed to, but he really wanted to figure out how to walk again for the New Year. He wanted to be home by then, for his brothers birthday's.

He was leaning against his bed's metal footboard, his hands holding on as he stared straight ahead at the wall that was just three steps away.

Bellamy, Mom, and Dad said they would visit that night with food and gifts, and he also wanted to surprise them in his own way.

He took one shaky step forward, focusing hard on balancing himself. When he didn't fall, he grinned to himself. He took another step forward, shaking a little more before finally rebalancing himself. With his last step, right as he wobbled a little too much, he was able to reach the wall and hold on to stop himself from falling. He cheered to himself, putting his arms in the air and falling over. He groaned to himself before he grabbed the wall, pushing against it at the same time he pushed his legs to stand.

He turned to the door. He figured if he could make it there and back, then he would be able to walk again in no time.

He took a step, testing his balance again. He figured it would take ten to twenty steps to get to the door from the wall. He took another step, planting his foot firmly on the floor and shifting his weight like Kureha had taught him to do.

Half way through his journey, which had taken him about five to seven minutes, the door opened. He looked up, managing to keep standing and not lose balance, even when his eyes widened in shock at the sight of who was at the door. Likewise, Ace and Sabo stared with surprise at their brother, who they had heard couldn't walk, trying to walk in their direction.

"Stay right there," Luffy grinned at them, holding up a hand as Luffy took a step forward. He stared right at them as he took his next step, talking and trying to move faster. "I'm really happy you two are here. I was thinking that I wouldn't get to see you two until I returned home."

Ace and Sabo stared right at him as he talked. Sabo gulped, trying not to cry, while Ace clenched his fists hard, ignoring his wet eyes.

"I thought you guys hated me…I'm sorry for everything. For making you say those awful things, for hurting you guys, for ignoring you guys," He was getting closer, and with just a few more steps, he would reach them. "But I want you guys to know that, no matter what you do or say, I'll always love you two."

Right as he reached them, his legs gave out and he fell forward. They both grabbed them and it became a hug, tears dripping from Luffy's eyes as he smiled, burying his face into his brother's hair as they sobbed.

"I'm so sorry Luffy. I'm so sorry!" Ace clutched at the back of his shirt while Sabo buried his face into his shoulder.

"It's okay Ace, it's okay."

"No! I was running away from everything that happened, from you! I was being an idiot and-"

"Stop talking Ace. Everything will be fine now." Luffy just pulled them tighter against him, smiling just being able to see them again, to touch them. It had been far too long. He felt Sabo smile into his shoulder as Ace continued crying and Luffy gave a small chuckle.

_Everything will be fine._

* * *

Since it was vacation, the two visited Luffy every day until he was discharged, which was at the end of January. He could walk fine and was learning how to run again.

Bellamy was able to leave the Institution in February, but still had to go visit a psychiatrist three times a week. He took up drawing as his hobby. As Rouge had invited him to, he moved into their house, sharing a room with Luffy.

Both Luffy and Bellamy were brought back to the school near the end of the year but welcomed by all the teachers and students.

Luffy visited Franky, Brook and Chopper after being unable to talk to them in person for a long time and their group of nine threw a huge party in their hideout that Robin once used as just a library but had grown over the years.

Shanks went out to captain a ship. He took Luffy to the beach one last time and the black haired teen saw his mentor and friend off. The two agreed to meet again.

Luffy became closer than ever with Ace, Sabo, Rouge, and Roger. And with Bellamy in their family, it became much more important to have their already important family time together.

Doflamingo was killed in the search for him. No one knew how, just that he was dead and could no longer torture innocent souls. His company was shut down, all of his subordinates were convicted and sentenced, and Luffy and Bellamy, along with countless other victims, gave testimony of the torture.

Luffy had subtle differences after everything. He was more careful. He had the obvious scar on his chest. He had moments of silent and seriousness unlike anyone had seen of him before. But he was still kind, foolish, loveable Luffy. And that was all anyone ever wanted and needed him to be.

* * *

_No matter what happens, if you hate me or not, we'll still be brothers forever and more._

* * *

**AN: I have no clue how I feel about this bonus...but I think it came out okay. It's still sad, but it's nowhere near as sad as before...at least I think. Sorry it's coming out like an hour before Tuesday (where I am, at least). I just had a really hard time trying to write this out.**

**Oh, and for last chapter, just incase anyone got confused: This story took place after canon. It was their first rebirth. That was the mystery Luffy was waiting for on the ship in Ace and Sabo's dream. The second part of the epilogue was the second rebirth they had. Luffy dreamed about Ace and Sabo's death's in canon. Ace and Sabo dreamed about Luffy's death in this story.**

**(By the way, this is fresh off the press with a really fast look through for errors so if you see any mistakes, please tell me!)**

**spoons-are-evil: I'm really glad you liked it. :) I loved writing the epilogue. And yes, you got it down. And rebirth was the mystery. If I did a sequel, it would probably be plotted out but it would probably focus on his childhood and stop where canon began if I did write one. I'm not sure yet...but I really do want to write a sequel. And I understand. I have to get back to school soon. Getting out of summer schedule's are awful times.**

**youshouldn'tneedtoknow: In this story, they were the first rebirth after canon. The second scene in the epilogue was their second rebirth after canon. Luffy dreamed about canon Ace and Sabo's death while Ace and Sabo dreamed about this story's Luffy's death. I think you got it right, if that was what you were saying.**

**0123: I'm glad you liked it and I hoped that this is like what you wanted. I'm not sure how it came out, but I hope you like it!**

**jam klaoo: I hope you enjoyed this! It's weird that this is the last chapter though...**

**Lily Noir: I'm glad you liked the rebirth. It was really fun writing that. And yes, they did know that Luffy died for them in the dream. Hahaha I suck at typing on the phone. I like the sound of French though.**

**FlightWulf: Yay! You're back! I put a lot of angst into this story. The rebirth thing was kind of a whim of mine, but I think it came out pretty good and I enjoyed writing it.**

**shadowmarialove: Thanks! Glad you liked it! Basically that's what ****happened. In this story, this was their first rebirth after canon and then the second part of the epilogue was their second rebirth after canon. Luffy dreamed about canon and Ace and Sabo dreamed about this story, but for the most part they say their brother's deaths in those worlds.**

**I love you guys so much! Honestly, I probably wouldn't have continued this story if it wasn't for you reviewers and followers and fav-ers. You guys really motivated me to finish this. It's so sad that this is the end. :( But, I may or may not do a sequel about the second rebirth they had.**

**I love you guys! Thank you so much for the support in this story! Hopefully, I'll see you again soon!**


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